A Ripple in Time
by GBJackson
Summary: Oscar Rodgers works a mediocre job and lives a mediocre life. But when he is invited to Iceland by his archaeologist cousin, he has no idea as to the adventure he is about to be drawn into.
1. Chapter 1

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How to train Your Dragon..._

**Hello, everyone... I am back with a new storyline in the same universe as my "Jarin and the Riders of Berk," and "Jarin and the Legacy of Nartara". I actually began this in what I was calling "The Diary of Oscar Rodgers", but I did not like the way it was flowing, so I decided to cancel that and take a new stab at it, told once again as an actual story, rather than in diary form. I enjoyed writing for Hiccup and friends, and for the OCs I created. So here I am, at it again.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

A Ripple in Time

Chapter One – To Iceland

Oscar "Ozzy" Rodgers was an average young man working an average mediocre job, the best he was able to get even after sinking thousands of dollars into a college education that was supposed to open up all sorts of exciting career possibilities. By all rights, it should have been, but the American economy started to tank, and the job market followed suit. It was his usual bad luck that this happened right after he completed his bachelors' degree in business. All the companies he once had an eye on as prospects were in fact laying off people left and right. The best he managed to land was a monotonous data entry position, that involved sitting at a computer in a tiny cubicle for eight hours every day for five days of the week.

He convinced himself that his job was integral to the company. Maybe it was in that the company needed people to enter data into the system so the actual sales agents could do their job. But it was not something that really required a college degree to do, in spite of it being mandated in the job description. The hours he worked didn't really afford him much of an opportunity to really look for a new job, and being an actual bachelor, his salary was enough to pay his bills. But he was bored, to say the least.

He got home from work one evening and checked his personal email. There in his in-box was a message from his cousin, Robert:

_Ozzy! Long time no write, eh?_

_I'm here in Iceland on a research project, and I have discovered something really big. Remember back when we were kids, fascinated with stories of Vikings and Dragons and other silly stuff like that? Well you know that I never lost interested in Norse mythology, and that is what led me to pursue historical research on the subject. Well it has paid off. Like I said, I found something, and I want you to be there to witness it._

_I know that this is short notice, but I am prepared to secure a plane ticket for you to get you out here. I promise you that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I would not pester you if I didn't believe that. Were it not for our childhood fantasies, I wouldn't be here, so it is only fitting that I share this reality with you._

_What do you say? Let me know within 48 hours._

_-Bob_

Oscar read it over again a couple of times to make sure it was real. He hadn't heard from his cousin in years. Just remembering their childhood games of Vikings vs. Dragons made him cringe at the silliness of it all and, at the same time, long for those days again. One good thing about the company he worked for is that he never lost any accumulated vacation time, and they actually allowed it to be taken at any time, as long as there was at least twenty four hours notice before the first shift he would miss. He really did need to get away for a while. This visit with Bob in Iceland might be just what he needed.

He fired off a reply to Bob with just three words:

_I'll be there!_

About thirty minutes later, his Email chimed, and there was the confirmation number for his plane ticket, held at the airport will-call desk for a flight for the day after tomorrow.

O O O

He got to the office early the next day and made straight for Human Resources. And got approved for two weeks of vacation time, effective the following day. When asked where he was going on such short notice, he merely replied, "I've got a family matter that needs tending to out of the country." It had the virtue of being true, and seemed to satisfy the HR clerk's curiosity.

One more grueling day of monotony, and he would be on a two week adventure. That's what Oscar told himself as he eased himself down in his corporately uncomfortable chair, ready to get it over with. However, he could not remember a more gruelingly monotonous day since he started with the company. He spent what he was sure to have been an hour entering data, only to look up and see that only fifteen minutes had passed. Then the urgent phone calls started rolling in. Someone had made some major errors on a major account, and the major project got dumped on him. It was a major pain.

By the time he clocked out at the end of the day, he was exhausted. It always frustrated him when people would make snide comments like "How could you be tired? All you do is sit on your but punching keys! I've got to crawl around in hot, narrow spaces and weld stuff! Do that all day and talk to me about being tired." It was true. He was thinly built, not suited well to physical labor. But if his mind could lift weights, it would bench-press a ton. Had he gone into the engineering field, he would be the one designing the blueprints that resulted in others having to crawl around in hot, narrow spaces and weld stuff. And they would probably resent him all the more.

He didn't care, though. He made enough money to pay the bills, and he made it a point not to bite off more than he could financially chew. That made his life more mediocre, but while those guys who got paid the bigger bucks to do heavy work were neck-deep in debt, he was financially secure. And he wouldn't want it any other way.

Traffic was horrible on the way home, just one more thing to drag out the day. When he finally made it to his apartment, he was starving. He popped a TV Dinner into the microwave and went to wash up. The few acquaintances he entertained on rare occasion often commented on how unhealthy his diet was, often asking if he knew just what exactly was in those dinners. He would point out that it was probably about the same thing that the food industry put in everything else. There wasn't much else that they could say in that regard.

After he had eaten, he began packing. He figured he could make do with a week's worth of clothes, washing once while there, or barring that get two wears out of everything, avoiding consecutive days. He honestly wasn't sure what his accommodations would be like, but he did not want to carry any more luggage than necessary.

Just before turning in for the night, he heard his email chime. It was from Robert.

_Just making sure that everything is still on for your plane trip tomorrow._

_-B_

He fired back a quick response.

_Indeed it is. See you soon.._

_-O_

Just before turning in, he made sure that he had set his alarm correctly, as in making sure it was set for AM and not PM. He had no intention of missing his flight. As tired as he was, he had no problem drifting off to sleep.

O O O

The flight was long and his butt was dead by the time the plane touched down on the runway at Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. Robert was waiting for him.

"Ozzy!" his cousin shouted, spreading his arms wide.

"Bobby!" Oscar replied with a similar gesture. They embraced each other briefly but heartily.

"Jeez, Oz," Robert said with concern. "You look so stressed. Like the weight of the world is on your shoulders."

"I wish it were," Oscar replied as they headed for baggage claim. "I just had a particularly grueling day at work yesterday, and a long flight. I just want to turn in and sleep."

"I hear ya, cousin," Said Robert. "It was the same for me when I first flew out here a few months back. It took me days to get used to the change. I hope you brought warm clothes."

"I figure they don't call it iceland for nothing," Oscar snarked.

After collecting his luggage, Oscar and Robert left the airport and took a taxi to Bob's apartment.

"The couch folds out into a bed," Bob told him. "The tap water here is some of the cleanest in the world, so if you're thirsty, you got nothing to worry about. Want some coffee?"

Oscar shook his head. "Man, I just want to crash for an hour or two. You can fix some if you want, and I'll get some when I get up."

"I can do with a nap myself," Bob said. "I've been so keyed up for the past day that I could use a break. Let's do three hours, and then I've got a story to tell you over breakfast and coffee."

"Sounds like a plan," Oscar said. He folded out the couch bed as Bob retreated to his own room, kicked his shoes off, and lay down in his clothes and was asleep within minutes.

Three hours later, he was being shaken awake by Bob.

"Rise and shine, Ozzy," he said. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled. With cheddar if you have any."

Bob laughed. "One heart attack special coming right up"

the food was good and so was the coffee. Robert woofed his down, eager to get started. He produced a cardboard tube and slid a map out of it. He spread the map out on the table and used some heavy drinking glasses to keep it flat. It depicted an archipelago. He placed the tip of his finger on the center of one of the islands. "This is Berk."

* * *

**Okay... the story Robert will tell Oscar pretty much needs its own chapter. I just wanted to establish that this is indeed going to be a How To Train Your Dragon story by throwing out the reference to Berk. It's going to take a few chapters to get to that part of it, but bear with me. I will try to update this as often as I can.**

**Be blessed, everyone.**


	2. Chapter 2

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How To Train Your Dragon_

**I want to thank those of you who are following this story. You are an encouragement to me to keep going. I would also like to encourage you to read my one shot stories, as well as my two multi-chapter stories, "Jarin and the Riders of Berk" and "Jarin and the Legacy of Nartara." While reading them is not necessary, many of the OCs you will read about in this one have a preexisting history that is coved in them.**

**And now, on to the latest chapter in "A Ripple in Time"**

* * *

**A Ripple in Time**

**Chapter 2 – Robert's Story**

"This is Berk," Robert said, the tip of his finger resting on the center of one of the islands of the map. "It was once the site a thriving Viking clan known as the Hairy Hooligans. It was wiped out long ago by a devastating blizzard. Historical details of that point in their history are sketchy, but it seems that many of its inhabitants were evacuated before the storm buried the island under ice. I came across a reference to this island in a book whose title translated roughly to 'How to Train your Dragon, 20th edition, by Eryn Haddock, Daughter of Erik Haddock V.' Apparently, based on references throughout the book, the Haddock family ruled Berk for generations."

"'How to Train Your Dragon'?" One corner of Oscar's mouth was turned up and the eye on that side of his face squinted.

Robert recognized this as his cousin's "You've got to be joking" expression. "I know how it sounds," he said. "I wanted to roll my eyes and toss it aside as rubbish at first. I mean the title just sounds so stupid. Except that it was filed with several other instructional books, dated at approximately the same time period, so curiosity got the better of me. There is stuff in that book that is very detailed, Whomever Eryn Haddock was, she was meticulous, and clearly took her writing seriously. However, I remained skeptical until I actually found Berk. The artifacts I found there indicated that the dragons were a centerpiece of their society. Not just dragon lore. Actual dragons.

Oscar frowned. "Are you trying to tell me that there were once _real_ dragons?"

Robert nodded. "Apparently so."

Oscar shook his head, clearly not convinced. "Let's say for a moment that I buy that. You said that you had something you wanted to show me. Let me guess... You found a dragon."

Robert grinned. "Boy do I wish. No. I found something that doesn't seem to fit with anything in Norse mythology or verifiable history. And yet it comes from the time right about when the blizzard destroyed Berk. That is what I want you to see."

Oscar had to admit that he was curious. "So let's see it."

"It's not _here,_ you big goof," Robert said, still grinning. "It's on an island located about here," he pointed at an open area of water on the map. "I don't know how they missed it when charting this region, but I assure you that it is there. My team has established a base camp on the island, and they are studying some very puzzling readings emanating from what we are calling 'Odin's Mirror.'"

"Odin's Mirror?" Oscar repeated the name.

Robert nodded. "For want of a better name."

"You said puzzling readings?" Oscar asked. "What sort of readings?"

Robert sighed and shook his head. "You are not going to believe this," he said. "but there is some sort of time distortion surrounding the Mirror, and it gets stronger the closer to it you get. Those who were inspecting it closest found that their watches were a couple of hours behind those back at base camp. We didn't notice it until those guys weren't showing up for their work shift. I threw a stone towards the mirror, and it slowed down in mid-air. It actually took about 20 minutes for it to fully come to rest on the ground."

Oscar's eyes widened. "So time slows down the closer you get to the... uhm... Mirror."

Robert nodded. "So it would seem. Ozzy, I am an archaeologist, not a temporal physicist. But if I am right, then at the surface of the Mirror, time will actually stop. And something else that will blow your mind. When you get inside the time distortion field, your compass points north no matter what direction you face. Nothing in any science I ever studied explains how that is possible."

Oscar shook his head, resting a hand on his forehead. "Bob, it isn't that I don't believe you, but I want to see this for myself."

Robert grinned. "That's why you're here. Our pilot will be ready to take us to the island this afternoon."

* * *

**Okay... It's a bit short, but it let Bob explain what he's discovered and sets up for the next event.**

**I look forward to your comments and reviews.**

**Be blessed...**


	3. Chapter 3

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How To Train Your Dragon..._

**Well here it is after far longer than I had planned, the third chapter in my "A Ripple in Time" story. I continue to be thankful to those who have liked and followed this story. You serve as an encouragement to me to keep writing, though the likes and followings are not a prerequisite. I'm just happy that I have provided something entertaining enough that people would want to read more. So thanks again. And now without further delay, I shall get on with it...**

* * *

A Ripple In Time  
Chapter 3 - Odin's Mirror

The Helecopter ride was uneventful, aside from a little turbulance as they approached the island in the middle of the archepelego. An easy landing was made and Oscar and his cousin climed out onto the landing pad. they were met by a middle-aged man with short blonde hair and wire-rimmed glasses.

"Doctor Wilkins," the man called out above the noise of the helecopter as its rotors slowed down. "I'm glad you're back, finally."

"Paul," Bob said. "I would like to introduce my cousin, Oscar Rodgers," Then to Oscar, he said "Ozzy, this is my assistant, Doctor Paul Davis."

Oscar extended his hand, "A pleasure,"

"Likewise." Paul said, shaking Oscar's hand. "Doctor Wilkins, if I could please have a word with you?"

"Of course," Robert said. "Ozzy, the basecamp is just around the corner. Follow the path. Rachel will show you where to stash your stuff. I'll be along in a bit."

Oscar nodded and headed in the indicated direction.

"What's up, Paul?" Robert asked.

"We may need to evacuat the island," Paul replied.

"What happened?" Robert wondered.

"While were gone, we've detected increased seismic activity in the core. Apparently the time displacement has had an effect on the structural stability of the island. I am concerned that the stress will cause the core to shatter." That was Paul's to-the-point report.

This was bad. "The core" was what the expedition was calling the amphetheatre-like area where Odin's Mirror was loacted. If it shattered, it would mean that the Mirror would be lost, and with it the only evidence of what could only have been the presence of a technologically advanced civilization that resided in the region at some point in the past. Nothing short of that could explain the Mirror and what the time displacement field around it. It simply could not have been a natural effect.

Bob swallowed hard. "How long?"

Paul shook his head. "It's hard to be sure. If nothing changes, probably two to three days. But as crazy as things have been here, it could be a lot sooner, or it could be later."

"Get to the radio and call for the other choppers. Have them on standby." Robert said. "As much as I don't want to lose the opportunity we have here to study the phenomenon further, I will not put the lives of this team in danger. We'll learn what we can while we can, but we will not stay any longer than is safe."

Paul nodded. "Very good, Doctor."

O O O

"Are you Rachel?" Oscar asked the attractive young redhead sitting at the desk playing solitaire on one of the windows open on the large HD screen which was also showing several other displays pertanent to the research team's work.

The woman looked up and smiled. "That all depends," she said with a melodic voice.

"Depends on what?" Oscar smiled back

Her smile widened. "On who you are and what your business here is."

"Oh," Oscar replied. "I'm Oscar Rodgers, Robert Wilkins' cousin. I'm here at his invitation."

Rachel mumbled something under her breath about destiny, and her blue eyes seemed to be looking at something far away. After a moment, she seemed to snap back to reality. "Well," she said, extending her hand to him. "Then I am, indeed, Rachel. Rachel Larson"

Oscar took her hand. It was strange. For a split second it felt like he was shaking hands with his great grandmother. _Must be the jetlag,_ he thought. And just like that, the feeling was gone, and he was looking into the eyes of a lovely young woman. A lovely young woman who was smiling back at him. _Women do not smile at me,_ he thought. _THAT must be the jetlag, too._ He smiled back at her politely and released her hand. "Bob said you could show me where to put my stuff."

Rachel nodded. "Right. You wouldn't know anything about it, yet," she said.

Oscar raised one eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Rachel sniffed. "I mean, how could you know where to stash your stuff until I show you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're a little wierd." he said.

Rachel laughed, a sweetly musical sound, "I get that a lot. Anyway, follow me." She led him out of the monitoring room and down a side hallway to the sleep chamber. It had several rows of beds, each with a foot locker at the end of it. "This one is available," she said, gesturing to a foot locker that had a key in the lock. "Take the key, but be sure to turn it in before you leave."

"Thank you, Rachel," he said.

She smiled at him agian, once again with that far-away look in her eyes that was gone a moment later. "I need to get back to my station. There's nothing really going on right now, but it wouldn't look good if the boss comes back and I am not there."

Oscar nodded. "Of course," he said. "See you later." As she walked out of the sleep chamber, Oscar thought he heard her mumble _"or earlier."_ Yep. She was a wierd one alright.

O O O

It wasn't long after Rachel had shown Oscar to the sleep chamber to store his stuff that Bob caught up with his cousin in the mess hall, which took up a room about the same size as the sleep chamber, but located on the opposite side of the base.

"Sorry for not sticking with you, Ozzy," Bob said. "We've got a situation brewing that may cut the expedition short. There are indications of growing geological instability. Nothing life-threatening. Doctor Davis has four choppers on standby, ready to come get us if things start to escalate."

Oscar nodded. "How long do we have?"

Bob pursed his lips. "If things keep on as they are, Paul thinks two to three days."

Oscar nodded again. "So when do I get to see this 'Odin's Mirror?'"

"First thing in the morning," Bob answered with a grin. "It's a fair walk from here to the Mirror. Even though there's still some daylight left, if we left now, it would be dark by the time we would have to come back. Believe me, we do not want to be caught between here and there after dark."

Oscar remembered reading stories about vikings who froze to death just a few meters away from the safety of home because they had gotten caught outside at night in heavy snow. This island was crazy. He had no idea what sort of weather conditions prevailed here, and his cousin's warnings convinced him that he didn't really want to find out first hand.

He didn't have any trouble getting to sleep that night. He dreamed that he was living among Vikings and Dragons and actually had a girlfriend who happened to look just like Rachel Larson. He even dreamed that he woke up to find Rachel resting her palm on his forehead, with a golden aura surrounding her. That was really wierd.

O O O

Bob shook Oscar awake just before sunrise. "Wake up lazy. Let's go grab some breakfast, and then gear up," he said, his voice full of mirth.

"Five more minutes," Oscar said, puling the blanket over his head, only to have it completely yanked off of him by his cousin.

"Not gonna happen! We've got too much to see." Bob fired back.

Oscar sighed. "Fine," he said, sitting up.

"See you in the mess hall," Bob said.

Oscar was tempted to lay back down, but he had come all this way to see this Mirror for himself, his cousin had paid for his plane ticket and had been a good host. He had to reciprocate. So he got up, relieved himself in the restroom, combed his hair, and made his way to the mess hall.

"Here's that book I told you about," Bob said, holding out a leather-bound volume with Norse runes all over it.

Oscar flipped through it, noting the pictures that were hand-drawn, with exquisite detail. Some of them seemed to be portraits with names under them. "Who are these people?"

Bob looked over Oscar's shoulder and pointed to each portrait in turn, quoting the names. "Stoick 'the Vast' Haddock, Chief of Berk; Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, First Rider of Berk; Astrid Hofferson-Haddock, Shield Maiden of Berk; Snotlout Jorgenson, Dragon Warrior of Berk; Fishlegs Ingerman, Loremaster of Berk; Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorsten, Dragon Warriors of Berk."

Oscar looked up from the book "Who were they?"

"According to the translation," Bob began, "they were the prominant Vikings in the first generation of Dragon Riders on Berk. There is a brief account of how peace was made between Vikings and Dragons, and there are other accounts of that peace extending to other islands in the archipelego. It wasn't all rainbows and kittens, though. The book mentions a mad warrior named Drago Bludvist who was raising a dragon army to subjugate the viking tribes under his rule. He was defeated, but Stoick the Vast was killed in the battle, to be succeded by his son, Hiccup."

"These people had strange names," Oscar commented.

"Yep," Bob said. "But different cultures have different ideas. And it was a different time."

Oscar thumbed through the book some more, noting the pictures of different species of dragon. "Wow!" he said. "I had no idea there were so many different types of dragons. Why aren't there any records of any of them?"

Bob shook his head. "Who knows. part of me still wants to dismiss this as fiction, but where the book was found in Berk's library, like I said, were many reference manuals on different crafting methods, some of them written by the same author. She clearly took it very seriously. As to where the dragons all went, none of the books we found give any clue."

Oscar pondered this information for a moment.

"Anyway," Bob declared, "Finish yout oatmeal, then let's go suit up so I can show you what I brought you all this way to see."

O O O

Thirty minutes later, they were half way between the basecamp and the Mirror. A mountain range rose ahead of them.

"The mountains dominate the center of the island," Bob explained. "There is a narrow pass that cuts through to an amphitheatre-like valley at the very heart. We call it "the Core. The Mirror is in there."

They walked on for about twenty more minutes and found themselves at the entrance to the pass. "Almost there," Bob said. "Get ready to see some interesting stuff."

After a few minutes of walking, Bob stopped. "Remember what I told you about the strange effects on the compass?"

"Yeah," Oscar answered.

"Well," Bob said, gesturing to an area in front of him. "The phenomenon starts right about here."

Oscar took out his compass and looked at it. "Okay... I see East Northeast," he said.

"Right, said Bob with a nod. "Now step forward and watch the compass."

Oscar did as instructed. "Woah!"

Bob grinned. "Now, It's showing due north, isn't it?"

Oscar shook the compass and blinked his eyes. "Yes."

Bob continued to grin. "Now turn around and face the other way."

Again, Oscar did as instructed. "The compass isn't turning. It's locked to north just like you said." Anticipating his cousin's next instruction, he walked back the way they had come. "Okay. West Southwest." He then walked backwards. "North again! This is unbelievable!"

Bob nodded. "Like I said at the apartment, it defies all known scientific explanation. It's like the laws of magnetism simply do not apply here."

Oscar could only shake his head. He had never seen anything like this. He wasn't even sure if anything like it had been in any of the science fiction movies he had seen. Something big was at work here, and suddenly he wondered whether or not it was wise for him _or_ his cousin to be meddling with it. He didn't hesitate to voice his opinion.

Bob laughed, but it was somewhat forced. "Believe me, Ozzy, I have considered that. But we're here. We've been very careful not to touch anything. As soon as these strange things were observed, and it happened quickly, we decided that we would record and document only. We have no idea what this place is all about, but we are not taking any serious chances."

"That's good," Oscar said, though he still felt a bit uncomfortable with just _being_ there.

Bob clapped his cousin on the shoulder. "Come on. Odin's Mirror awaits."

They continued through the narrow pass.

O O O

Another half hour of brisk walking brought them into the Core. Oscar couldn't help but stare at the spectacle before him. There were crystal formations everywhere, refracting rainbow colors everywhere like a prism. There was a resonating hum in the air coming from what did indeed look like a giant mirror set into the rock face straight ahead.

"Oh, my God!" Oscar said, with eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Bob laughed, this time mirthfully. "I said the same thing, and probably looked exactly how you look." He took a shuddering breath. "Nothing I have ever seen in all my travels compares to this."

Oscar felt like he was about to ask a stupid question, but he had to ask it, "What _is_ it?"

Bob sighed. "We don't know for sure. But based on the temporal displacement that increases closer to the Mirror, our best theory is that the mirror is some sort of time portal."

Oscar rolled his eyes. "That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"Believe me, Ozzy," Bob began, "With this thing, _any_ theory is a stretch."

"So what makes you think it's a portal?" Oscar asked.

"Watch," Bob said, picking up a stone and tossing it towards the Mirror.

Oscar stared as the stone's flight through the air slowed down the closer it got to the mirror. It was hardly moving at all as it touched the reflective surface...

...And vanished, with the 'glass' rippling as if it were water reacting to a tossed pebble.

"Okay," Oscar said after letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "So it is a portal. And I guess that the visibe slowdown of the stone reinforces the time thing. So 'Time Portal' is as good as any guess... I guess."

"Agreed," said Bob.

Oscar sighed. "I wish it would show us the destination"

"You and me both," Bob replied.

The resonance hum in the air rose in pitch, and the surface of the mirror rippled again and then settled out to perfect smoothness again. It still seemed to be showing a reflection of the core, but they were no longer being reflected.

"Uhm..." said Oscar. "Did I do that?"

"Apparently so," was Bob's only response.

"How did I do that?" Oscar asked

"VOICE PRINT RECOGNIZED. RODGERSON, ALARICK, APPROVED TEMPORAL LIAISON BERK ALPHA ALPHA SEVEN."

The voice that came from the mirror was mechanical in nature, with a metalic reverberation. It was mid-toned, so it could not be identified as either male or female.

Both Oscar and Bob looked at each other in astonishment.

O O O

Back at the basecamp, Doctor Paul Davis was studying the seizmic sensor readings on the big screen. Everything was in the green, and he sighed with relief. He didn't like it that Robert had gone into the core with only his cousin. If the geological instability were to degrade suddenly, there might not be enough time to get anyone out of there. But the readings were showing stable for now. For the moment there was no danger.

"Keep an eye on these readings, Rachel," he said, standing up and stretching his shoulders. "I need coffee."

Rachel nodded. "No problem, Doctor."

Paul hadn't taken two steps away from his chair when the beeping started. He froze, heart almost stopping. He rushed back to the counter, rolling the chair out of the way, standing over the workstation. Sensors were starting to show yellow. All of them. "Dear God!"

He keyed the contact code for the mainland chopper station and tapped the transmit button on his wireless headset. "Chopper station one this is Island research Station Wilkins. Evacuation protocol!"

"Chopper Station One acknowledging evacuation protocol," a professional-sounding male voice crackled through the speakers. "Choppers outbound in three minutes. Have all personell ready for departure. ETA to research station Wilkins, thirty minutes. Mark!"

"Be advised," Paul responded. "Two members of research team in the field. Delay possible. Will advise further."

"Understood Research Station Wilkins," the chopper station operator responded.

Paul keyed in the contact code for Doctor Wilkins' radio. "Doctor Wilkins. Be advised that seismic readings on all sensors in the yellow. Evacuation protocol in effect. Return to base immediately. Timestamp 120317. Over." If Robert was in the core, there would be at least a 45 second delay due to the time distortion, hence the timestamp, so Robert would know when the message had actually been sent. The problem was that transmitting _out_ of the core had double the delay. So paul watched the clock intently as the seconds clicked by.

"Message Acknowledged, Paul," came Robert's clear voice. "On our way. Timestamp 210412."

An alert klaxon began to sound right at that moment, and the sensor readings began to change from yellow to red in rapid succession. The entire base camp began to shake.

"Oh NO!" he shouted and began barking orders through the intercom for everyone to evacuate immediately.

O O O

"We've got to go," Bob shouted, grabbing Oscar by the arm and pulling him away from Odin's Mirror.

No sooner did they get moving back towards the narrow pass that the core began to shake violently. The ground pitched under their feet, causing them to stumble. They struggled to their feet against the shifting surface and half-stumbled and half crawled ahead. The core was pretty wide as it was, but the shifting and pitching made it take a lot longer to get anywhere.

Bob made it into the pass and paused to look behind. Oscar had tripped and had gone down face first. he wasn't making any effort to stand. Bob started moving towards his cousin, but suddenly a rock formation jutted up out of the ground right at the mouth of the pass, cutting him off. "NOOOO!"

O O O

They had both been struggling across the core back to the pass. They got separated as the earth pitched and shifted. Rock formations began jutting through the floor and the walls. One of them pushed up underneath Oscar's feet, flipping him forward to do a face plant firmly on the ground, plunging him into darkness.

He wasn't sure how long he was out, but when he came to, there was no sign of his cousin, and the pass was blocked my a massive stone column that hade thrusted out of the ground. Bob must have gotten cut off from him. He knew his cousin would not have just abandoned him.

A new sense of urgency hit hims as the ground began to crumble at the center of the core, spreading outward.

"Perfect," he said out loud. There was no climbing out of the core, as the rock face was too steep. The pass was blocked. He couldn't stay there and wait for a rescue. There was only one logical path.

He began to stumble towards Odin's Mirror. He paused before it and took a deep breath. _Better lost in time than dead here and now,_ he thought. Steeling himself for whatever might come, he stepped into the Mirror.

O O O

Gelbrun rode on the back of his Majestic Flamescale, Brokenclaw, as the dragon sailed through the air. He remembered with sadness and self-loathing when he hated dragons of this species, until so recently known as Monstrous Nightmares, above all other dragons, because until so recently he had believed it was one of their kind who had killed his wife and son. He had not been in his right mind for a long time. In fact, his mind was not even his own for a long time. He had surrendered his well to demonic spirits who spoke their will to him, and like the puppet he had willingly become, he danced to their tune. His people and many innocent dragons suffered as a result.

Now he was free of that dark influence. Free by the grace of God, Creator of All, to whome he has since pledged his heart, and in so doing, regained his sanity and his love of life. More importantly, the truth about the circumstances surrounding the death of his wife and son were revealed to his soul, and he was permitted to be the tool of God's vengence against the real murderer.

Freed from the turmoil the demonic voices had plunged his mind, he had now come to love dragons, even as his new friend, Stoick the Vast, chief of Berk, had come to love them. His home of Nartara had now embraced the truth about dragons and how they could help humans prosper. Nartara's banner once depicted a monstrous nightmare skewered by a sword. Now it depicted a Majestic Flamescale with its wings upraised in a gesture of either praise or victory. His own daughter had become chief of nartara in his place, and her husband, jarin of Berk had become her chief advisor and head of a dragon training academy.

As for himself, Gelbrun had entered into a state of self-imposed exilte. The memory of the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon his people and dragons was too much to bear, so he left Nartara, never to return. He would live out the remainder of his days on Dragon Island, among the creatures he once loathed, but now loved.

But being an exile did not mean he couldn't enjoy the wonders of flight on the back of his dragon. And so it was that the two glided through the air in the middle of the Archipelego. A bright flash brought him out of his personal reflection. He looked down toward the strange, empty island with an open amphetheatre-like rock formation. He had been there before, but there was nothing noteworthy there. That wasn't the case now. From the air, he could see the form of a man lying sprawled on the ground.

"Brokenclaw," He called to his dragon. "Would you be so good as to land, please?"

The dragon spiraled down and touched down on the ground a short distance to the unconscous form of the man who lay on the ground. Gelbrun dismounted and strode quickly over to the man, knelt, and turned him over. He was a middle-aged man of average build. Clearly not a traditional Viking. More along the lines of Hiccup, Stoick's son, but with more meat on his bones. The man's clothes were strange. He couldn't figure out what they were made from. They didn't look like the wool, cloth and leather he was used to seeing. But that didn't really matter. He shook the man's limp form, trying to get some sort or fesponse. When nothing seemed to work, he gathered the man up in his arms as best as he could and carried him towards his Flamescale.

As he climed on the saddle with his human burden in front of him so he could hold onto him, he cleared his throat. "Brokenclaw," he said. "Take us to Berk"


	4. Chapter 4

I neither own nor claim any rights to "How to Train Your Dragon"

Okay... Here's chapter 4. It's later than I planned. Better late than never, right?

A Ripple in Time - Chapter 4  
Mysterious Guest

"Dragon Rider approaching: Majestic Flamescale" came the shout of one of the junior riders who had been on patrol that morning, as he glided his Nadder into the Academy courtyard.

Astrid turned to face him as he landed. "Good job, Felnin," she said. "Take a few minutes and return to your route." She dismissed the scout and jogged over to her own Nadder and mounted up. "Okay, Stormfly," she said, patting the dragon on the shoulder, "Let's go see who it is."

It only took her a few minutes to get in visual range of the approaching Flamescale and its rider. The sunlight reflecting off the metalic orange markings in the dragons sides announced who that rider was. "Gelbrun," Astrid whispered. "I wonder what he wants?"

She intercepted Gelbrun a few moments later, and she saw exactly what the problem was. The reclusive former chief of Nartara was holding onto an unconscious man in front of him. "What happened," she asked.

"Good to see you again, Astrid," Gelbrun said. "I found this lad unconscous on Lone Island. I have no idea how he got there. I only had three places I could take him. Nartara, to which I cannot go to. Outcast Island, which is out for obvious reasons. And Berk. So here I am."

Astrid nodded. "Follow me in. We'll take him to Gothi"

Gelbrun nodded. "Lead on!"

O O O

It only took a few minutes to reach Gothi's hut. The old healer was tending to her flock of Dogdragons _(1)_ as Gelbrun landed Brokenclaw and dismounted. She immediately washed her hands and hobbled over to the Nartaran and helped get the unconscious man inside. She then shooed Gelbrun out and slammed the door behind her. Gelbrun mounted back up on Brokenclaw and took to the air.

Astrid had been hovering on Stormfly, waiting for Gelbrun, and when he got back in the air, she escorted him and his Flamescale to the Academy. The stranger would be in good hands for now. Gelbrun would surely want to rest Brokenclaw for a bit. And there was someone she knew would be wanting to see him.

O O O

After they had landed at the academy, Astrid took her leave, saying that she had something to take care of. Gelbrun was greeted by Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Neither Fishlegs nor Hiccup were present at the time. The three teens were all talking over each other trying to ask Gelbrun about anything and everything, and he couldn't help but smile as he remembered that not so long ago, these same teens had ridden to war on dragon back _against_ him. He did his best to fill them them in on his life in self-imposed exile. They found it impressive that someone who once hated dragons with a passion now lived with them in their own habitat.

Suddenly the three looked past Gelbrun and smiled.

"What are you all grinning at," Gelbrun said, turning around. His breath caught. There, standing before him, with Astrid at her side, was his daughter. "Tarina!" he shouted and ran towards her.

"Father!" Tarina cried and threw her arms around his neck. "What are you doing on Berk? How long can you stay, I've missed you!" Some might think her emotional outburst was unbecoming of a chief, but she didn't care. It had been six months since Gelbrun left Nartara to begin his self-imposed exile. He could not return there, and Citizens of Nartara were forbidden to go to Dragon Island. That included her. But Gelbrun was welcome to visit Berk, and Nartara had established a solid trade relationship there, so this was considered neutral ground in terms of his exile.

Gelbrun cupped his daughter's chin gently in his palm and smiled. "I'm here on Berk because I found a man unconscious on Lone Island, Berk was the only logical place to bring him. I can't stay long. I don't want to wear out my welcome. And I've missed you, too. Where's that husband of yours?"

Tarina grinned. "Jarin is on Nartara filling in for me while I am here. I wanted to personally visit Berk to finalize arrangements for delivery of supplies for a new fire suppression system Hiccup designed. With Nartara becoming a dragon-friendly place, and with Majestic Flamescales as the most common dragon there, we need a way to easily put out accidental fires."

Gelbrun nodded. "Makes sense. I had to rebuild my roof a month ago because a Brokenclaw sneezed and caught the first one on fire. Maybe I should talk to Stoick about one of those fire suppression things myself."

Tarina nodded. "Well, let's go,"

Gelbrun walked over to Brokenclaw and laid a hand gently on the Flamescale's snout. "Rest up, boy. I'll be back soon." The dragon nodded and Gelbrun jogged to catch up with his daughter.

They left the academy propper, and just outside, Shadowhorn was crouched down, waiting for Tarina to return. He perked up when he saw Gelbrun walking beside her. He lumbered over and nuzzled the former Nartaran Chief in the chest, crooning deep in his throat.

Gelbrun almost broke down. This dragon was one of his victims when he wasn't in control of his mind. The leather and scale skin wrap that covered the scars on his back and side served as a reminder of the torture he had ordered upon the dragon: that his scales be ripped out to discourage him from flaming up. He was present and heared every anguished cry from the dragon as the Ripper did exactly as instructed. He was present and had laughed with glee. And yet the dragon had forgiven him. The Creator of All had forgiven him first, and the Dragon somehow understood that, and had followed suit.

When Gelbrun had encountered Shadowhorn for the first time after his restoration, his guilt and shame for what he had allowed himself to become drove him to put himself at the dragon's mercy. Shadowhorn could have, and by all rights _should_ have killed him. But instead, the dragon had seemed to look into his very soul, and after seeing whatever there was to see, he had bent down and licked Gelbrun affectionately, and that broke Gelbrun in a way he had never expected. The Creator of All had forgiven him and had restored his sanity, and now this dragon had also forgiven him. He had truly felt as though he had been made new at that point.

"Father?" Tarina asked with concern as she noticed the tears in the man's eyes. "Are you alright?"

Gelbrun snapped back to the present and wiped his eyes, sniffling as he did so, "I'm fine, my precious girl," he said. "There's just too much dust here, that's all."

Tarina smiled, looking at Shadowhorn, to her father, and then back. "Of course there is," she mumbled. "Let's not keep Stoick waiting," she said as she mounted up on the dragon.

Gelbrun climbed up behind his daughter and then they were off, following Astrid on Stormfly towards the great hall.

O O O

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III stood at the head of the table, his father Stoick the Vast, chief of Berk looking over his shoulder as he pointed at the map of Berk.

"We will build the water tower here," he said as he tapped the map. "It will be open-topped to receive rain and snow. In times when the rain and snow are limited, the Dragon Riders will fly up into the mountains and bring ice down and put inside it." He now pointed at a detailed diagram of the tower. The bottom of the tank will be metal plated, and a modified night vision torch can be lit under it to melt the ice if needed."

The council, gathered around the table nodded in understanding.

"So this water tower will feed the fire suppression system?" Spitelout asked. "It seems to me that building the tower would be overkill."

Hiccup shook his head. "Not just the fire suppression system, but also an irrogation system that would bring water anywhere we need it in the village itself or to any of the outlying farms. we can actually increase the amount of farmland because it will be easier to keep crops watered."

Spitelout thought about it and then nodded as well, looking to Stoick. "Aye... The lad's got a good head on his shoulders."

Stoick nodded with pride. "What timeframe are we looking at, son?"

Hiccup pursed his lips as he gave the question some thought. "If you approve the manpower I have requested, about three months."

Stoick rested a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "Request approved. This is your plan, and so it is your project. A perfect exercise in chiefly responsibility." He had said it loud enough for the entire assembly to hear.

Hiccup shrugged. He had expected that. Ever since the Nartaran incident six months ago, his father had begun talking more and more about handing the reigns over to him. He did not want to be Chief. Not yet, anyway. There was still so much more he had planned to do. Like flying as far as he could from Berk and mapping out whatever land he could find. Like discovering new dragon species. Like finding more Night Furies. Like marrying Astrid.

At the thought of Astrid, Hiccup looked around the great hall and saw her standing near the entrance with Chief Tarina of Nartara and her father standing behind her. What the man might want faded to unimportance as Astrid's gaze met his and he saw her smile.

"And now, if there is no further village business?" Stoick boomed from his position at the head of the table which he had reassumed as Hiccup stepped away. When nobody said anything, he gestured for Tarina to approach "The council now recognizes Tarina, Chief of Nartara," he said.

"It is agreeable to see you again, Chief Stoick," she began formally. "I and my people remain thankful for your help in reclaiming our home from Alvin and Dagur." She made no mention of the original plan to sieze control of Nartara from her father. There was no point. He had readily abdicated his authority with no resistance, and it was quickly learned that Alvin had double-crossed the former mad chief by allying himself with Dagur the Deranged. The Outcast/Berserker alliance had become the real threat, which both Nartara and Berk needed to overcome.

"Berk is glad to receive you," Stoick replied. "How may we help you?"

Tarina stood across the table from Stoick. "On his last visit, Trader Johan brought stories about how Berk is now protected by a fire suppression system for houses accidentally set on fire by dragons. The Majestic Flamescale is the most common dragon on our shores, and accidents have happened a few times since I became chief. I would like to arrange a trade agreement with Berk for the materials and instructions needed to set up a fire suppression system of our own. And while I only caught the end of it, an irrogation system would be of great help in restoring Nartara's agricultural potential."

Gelbrun cringed. As the Mad Chief of Nartara, he had neglected his people for an insane quest for vengence against monstrous nightmares, as they were still called at the time. His neglect resulted in the near decimation of Nartara's agricultural industry. Yet another thing he was guilty of, but had been forgiven for, though he did not feel worthy.

"We need the fire suppression system as soon as possible," Tarina continued, "but the irrigation system can wait until you've finished your own. we'll manage well enough until then."

Stoick stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Speak with Gobber at your convenience to determine exactly what you'll need. After that, you and I can discuss an apropriate trade and delivery arrangement."

Tarina bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Chief Stoick."

"You are quite welcome, Chief Tarina," Replied Stoick. He turned his attention to Gelbrun. "The council now recognizes Gelbrun, Chief of Dragon Island"

Gelbrun could not help but smile at the honor Stoick had just done him. While there was no viking village on his island of exile, he was the sole resident, and under some obsure viking bylaws concerning iminant domain, that made him a chief unto himself. Most contemporary Viking leaders did not acknowledge those bylaws, but they could be legally envoked, and Stoick had just done this. He glanced over at Tarina who was also smiling.

"Chief Stoick of Berk," Gelbrun began. "I arrived not long ago, carrying an unconscious man I found on Lone Island. How he got there is a mystery. There is no wreckage on the shore, and no evidence of dragons. His clothing is not like anything I have seen. Gothi is caring for him now. There is no room for him with me on Dragon Island, and I couldn't take him to Nartara."

Stoick nodded. "You did the right thing in bringing him here. Was there anything else?"

Gelbrun nodded. "I'd like to see about somehow getting me one of those fire suppression systems for my house on Dragon Island. A Majestic Flamescale's sneeze can be devastating."

Stoick smiled, and there was good-natured laughter scattered around the great hall. "Indeed it can," said Stoick. I'm sure we can figure something out. Anything else?"

Gelbrun shook his head. "No. Except to say that it is good to see you and your people again, Chief Stoick. May the Creator of All bless all of you."

O O O

He awoke with a start, eyes darting wildly in all directions as he tried to focus on his surroundings. Where was he? Nothing looked familiar to him. He had a splitting headache and it seemed as if he were looking at everything across a great distance and through some sort of fog. Had he hit his head? He didn't know. He was laying on some sort of cot that, while not particularly comfortable, seemed to make his back feel better. Better than what? Did he have back problems, or something? He didn't know that, either. The room he was in smelled clean, as if a strong disinfectant was used. It made him think of a doctor's office. When was he last in a doctor's office? Again, something he didn't know. He was suddenly overwhelmed with diziness and he felt himself drift back into unconsciousness.

He awaoke with a start again, and again he tried looking around. This time, the fog he had seemed to be looking through earlier was gone, but everything still seemed to be far away. He realized he wasn't alone. He turned his head to the side and saw an elderly woman looking at him, eyes filled with concern. Who was she? He didn't know. More importanlty, who was _he_? He came to the startling realization that he didn't know _that,_ either. He tried to sit up, but was again bowled over by a wave of diziness, and again he passed out.

O O O

Gothi blinked when her patient fainted after trying to sit up. All his symptoms pointed at some sort of head trauma, but there was no evidence of the cause. The only visible injury he had was a busted chin, no doubt obtained by falling face down on rough ground. There were no lumps on his head that would indicate blunt-force injury. The man was not suffering from a fever, as his cheeks, neck and forehead felt normal.

Gothi closed her eyes and opened her inner senses to the environment around her. It was a gift she had possessed all her life, and gave her insight into many things. She reached out with these senses to the man lying on the cot before her. Suddenly, a chill spred through her, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It was as if the man were not really there. No... It went beyond that. Like he wasn't supposed to exist.

She withdrew her senses and opened her eyes, now experiencing concern for the man's well-being as well as concern for the well-being of everyone on Berk because of him. Things she did not understand, she ususally viewed as a potential threat. And she could not begin to understand what her senses told her about him.

She went into the front room, to her favorite chair, and picked up whon of her Dogdragons, which screached in mild annoyance at being awakened and then trilled delightedly when it realized _who_ had awakened it. She slipped the little "come to Healer" scroll into the loop on the little dragon's leg. She smiled, remembering the day when Fishlegs suggested the scroll for her to use with Air Mail. It sure beat standing on her balcony, thumping the butt of her staff on the deck until someone looked up and saw she was trying to get their attention. Presently, she walked to the window and released the Dogdragon.

Gobber would be there soon with either Stoick or Hiccup, and they would begin to decide how to proceed with this mysterious guest.

So Gothi has gotten a sense that her mystery patient is not just some random castaway. Too bad he doesn't even know who he is. Please review.

(1) - In Jarin and the Legacy of Nartara, the Terrible Terrors were renamed to Dogdragons.


	5. Chapter 5

_I neither own nor claim any rights to "How to Train Your Dragon"_

**A Ripple in Time  
Chapter 5 - Up for Getting Out**

He awoke again to the sound of voices. He wasn't sure how long he was out this time, but he remembered the effect sitting up had on him before, so he decided to just lay there and listen to the voices. He still had no memory of who he was. He certainly did not recognize any of the voices, and while he was resting comfortably at the moment, something told him that he should try to learn as much as he could before trying to ask any questions. And pretending to still be unconscious seemed a good way to avoid being asked any questions. So he just lay there. Listening

O O O

Stoick looked down at the symbols Gothi had written in the sand, with Gobber looking over her shoulder to translate.

"She says that the lad will probably make a full recovery, but she doesn't know why his Yak won't stay standing?" The old smith scratched his head with a confused expression, which became an expression of pain as Gothi jammed the butt of her staff down on the top of his remaining foot. "Oh, I see..." he said, looking at the symbols again. "She doesn't know why he won't sty awake. That makes better sense, actually."

Stoick frowned. "Did he hit his head?"

Gothi shook her head, clearing away the symbols and etching new ones.

Gobber translated them again, carefully examining them to avoid more pain inflicted by the old woman. "She says he doesn't belong here."

Stoick stroked his beard with a sly grin. "No... Really?"

The status of Chief did not make even Stoick the Vast immune to Gothi's staff knocking against his head, but the old woman's eyes held amusement and a faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She went back to scrawling on the sand.

"She says that 'here' means Midgard," Gobber explained, eyes widening as the words he had just spoken sank in.

"He doesn't belong in our _world?_" Hiccup asked. He had been standing back letting his dad and Gobber deal with the situation. "What other world is there?"

Gothi fixed the heir of Berk with an unsettling gaze. No symbols were needed to convey the meaning. In just that look alone, the old woman seemed to be saying, "there are things that go beyond comprehension." Hiccup wasn't going to argue. Just a few years ago, nobody on Berk, not even himself, would have been able to comprehend what peace between Vikings and Dragons would be like. But because one fifteen year old misfit chose to take the first step on a path that no-one else had ever gone down, the world suddenly became far bigger than he had believed possible.

Gothi tapped her staff on the floor and frowned at the stranger. His breathing had quickened and beads of sweat were on his forehead.

Stoick saw this, too. "What's the matter, lad," he began. "Hear something scary?"

The stranger seemed to force himself to sit up, no doubt bracing himself for that wave disorientation to bowl him over again, but it didn't come this time, and he sighed with a smile. "Yes," he said. "I'm scared." he took a deep, shaky breath. "Scared, confused, lost... and probably a whole lot more."

"Well, for a man who doesn't belong here on Midgard, his Norse is flawless," Hiccup said.

Stoick frowned. "A man who doesn't belong here, yet able to speak our language perfectly..." he fixed the stranger with a piercing glare. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

He fumbled. "I don't know, sir. The first thing I can remember is waking up lying on this cot."

Stoick looked to Gothi, who shrugged. "Maybe you are telling the truth, and maybe you aren't," he fired back at the stranger. "You are welcome to stay here in Berk until you've recovered from whatever this is."

The stranger cocked his head to the side. "You just gestured to all of me," he said and then jerked his attention to Hiccup, who did his best (which was not good enough) to stifle a laugh.

"After that," Stoick continued as if the stranger hadn't spoken, "We'll just have to see. When you are feeling ready to go out and about, we won't try to stop you. But I warn you: If you do anything to harm my people, I will not hesitate to kill you. Understand?"

The stranger nodded. "Of course, sir. I promise that I won't do anything to harm anybody. I really would like to live long enough to get my memory back." He bowed his head and shook it. "If I can get it back."

Stoick accepted the stranger's promise with a grunt, and turned to leave, Hiccup and Gobber following behind him.

As gothi turned her attention back to the stranger, he smiled weakly at her. "Is there anything to eat?"

O O O

After eating a bowl of light broth, he felt exhaustion wash over him, so he eased himself back down on the cot and fell asleep again and did not awake until the next morning. He sat up on the side of the cot, glad that there was no more diziness or headache. Until he tried to stand, then his knees buckled, as if he had never used them before, he pitched forward and hit his head on a nearby table, knocking pottery all over the floor in the process. Gothi came quickly into the room to find out what all the racket was, and found him curled up in a fetal position on the floor, hands firmly on his head, and moaning. She resisted the urge to whack him on the head with her staff for being so careless, but he clearly had not meant to do it, and had managed to whack himself in the head. She knelt beside him and helped him sit up, and to lean back against the cot.

"Thank you," he said, and Gothi raised her eyebrows in confusion. "I said, thank you," he said, but this time it was he who raised his eyebrows. He had repeated it in Norse, but realized that he had originally spoken in some language he somehow knew was called English. "So I speak two languages," he said, more to himself than to Gothi, who nodded with an encouraging expression. "I guess things are starting to come back to me."

He did not try to stand up again, except to get himself back onto the cot. The dizziness was back, but this time it was likely due to hitting his head. Gothi let him sleep once she was sure that he didn't have a concussion, and except for waking up to eat more broth, he was content to spend his time just resting.

The third day, he stood up, walked around the room and even dared to hop up and down a couple of times. He looked at Gothi who was watching him carefully. "I think I am up for getting out of here today."


	6. Chapter 6

_I neither own nor claim any rights to "How to Train Your Dragon"_

**A Ripple in Time  
Chapter 6 - Out And About**

"I think I am up for getting out of here today," said the stranger.

Gothi looked him up and down and nodded, but then gestured for him to wait there. She left the room and went back to her living space. She picked up a pre-written note which read _"stranger's ready to leave. send escort."_ and slipped it into the tiny tube attached to one of her Dogdragons' legs. She fed the little creature a small fish and held it out towards the window. I stretched its wings and then took off, knowing to look for Gobber, Hiccup or Stoick.

Back in the recovery room, the stranger was pacing back and forth. He had all this energy built up from spending the past few days more or less flat on his back. He needed to walk around. Breathe fresh air. See more than four walls. Again, flashes of his recurring dream of sitting inside some sort of box and tapping on little squares with symbols on them came to mind. What did it mean?

He didn't really have to wait all that long before Gothi came back into the room with Gobber and a beautiful girl with golden hair and sky-blue eyes. He knew he had to have been several years older than the girl, though he had no idea how old he was, but there was no denying that she was very pretty. He shook his head. This was insane. For all he knew, he could be married or at least in a relationship with someone back home. Wherever home was.

"Laddie," said Gobber. "This is Astrid Hofferson. She'll be accopanyin' you while yer out an' about. Don't try anything funny, or she'll split you in two with that axe o' hers."

The stranger noticed the axe Gobber was referring to, gripped firmly in the girl's hand. He gulped involuntarily and nodded. He followed Astrid out the door of Gothi's hut, and froze as he came face to face with a creature that could not possibly exist. Or could it? He didn't know.

The creature advanced on him, turning its head to the side to examine him with one eye. It began to sniff him.

"Uhm..." the stranger said, cringing "Astrid? That axe might be useful right about now!"

The creature growled at him.

Astrid laughed.

"How is this funny?" asked the stranger who was doing his best to remain motionless.

Astrid shook her head. "Berk isn't at war with dragons anymore. This is Stormfly. She's my friend."

Fear melted into awe. He looked at Astrid who was now scratching the dragon under the chin, causing it to _purr._ "Wow..." That was all he could say.

Astrid grinned. "I know, right? Three hundred years of Dragons and Vikings killing each other, and now, we're all sort of one big family."

Oscar had relaxed from his initial shock of meeting a dragon for the first time. _Wait a minute,_ he thought. _That's my name!_ "Woah..."

Astrid smiled. "Yep," she said. "It's pretty amazing."

Oscar shook his head. "No, I mean yeah, that is amazing, but I just remembered my name. I'm Oscar... uhm... uhm... Well I guess I remember _part_ of my name."

Astrid nodded her head sympathetically. "Well, Oscar," she said. "I'm sure it will all come back to you. Now why don't we go for that walk. You can meet some of the others."

Oscar nodded, and together, He and Astrid headed towards the village, with Stormfly walking behind them, but keeping her head between them. Oscar had asked Astrid about how the war with the dragons had ended, and she explained how Hiccup had learned the truth about the dragons while befriending what many had considered to be the deadliest of them all, a Night Fury. She had explained that the people, Stoick the Vast especially, were not willing to accept what Hiccup tried to show them, and Hiccup was disowned for treason, his Night Fury taken to be used as the means of finding the dragons' nest. She went on to describe how Hiccup came up with a crazy plan to turn the latest class of dragon fighters into dragon riders, and how the plan ended up saving his father and the warriors who went after the nest. She told him about the Red Death, and how hopeless conventional warfare would have been against it, but how Hiccup and his dragon together took it out, at the cost of losing a foot.

Oscar was astounded. "Who would have thought that such a shrimp of a person could accomplish so much?"

Suddenly, Astrid had his tunic clinched in her fist, and the blade of her axe resting at his throat. "Don't talk about Hiccup that way. We owe him more than we can ever repay."

Oscar held up his hands in surrender. _she must really like him,_ he thought. "I didn't mean anything by that. It's just that if you only look at him, you would never know he could accomplish something so epic. But then, I seem to remember having been told by... Someone... that I should never underestimate people. That clearly applies here."

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief, let go of Oscar's tunic and lowered her axe. She didn't really want to inflict bodily harm on this man. "We _all_ underestimated him. We never bothered to get to know him. If we had, we might have given him a chance. But we didn't. And for the first 14 years of his life, he was ignored, ridiculed, neglected, alienated and bullied by pretty much everyone. A traditional Viking would have said 'to Hel with all of you,' and turned his back. But Hiccup is _not_ a traditional Viking. He forgave years of pain and suffering and put his life on the line for all of us. And as a result, Berk now enjoys a level of peace and prosperity it had never known, even from its beginning. We can never repay that."

Oscar just stood there. Listening to Astrid's revelation has triggered more of his memory. He remembered his own childhood. He was more or less treated the same way. He was met with discouragement at almost every turn. But rather than do what Hiccup had done, and press forward with determination, he had surrendered to the notion that he would not amount to anything. No wonder he ended up working a mediocre data entry job. "Thank you, Astrid," he said.

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "For what?"

He told her about his memory and tried to explain his job back home. Of course, she had no idea what a computer was, so he described what he did as being like writing down information for other people to use to do more important and better-paying work. She at least seemed to accept that, but was more impressed with his continued recovery.

"You seem to be making all sorts of progress, today," she said.

They continued on their walk through the village, Astrid pointing out various land marks and points of interest. The forge, the Mead Hall, the storehouse, and finally the Dragon Academy.

"This is where it all began for us," Astrid said. "Here, we were beginning to learn how to fight and kill dragons." There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she thought about the pain she had inflicted on Stormfly during the training. "Now, it is the place where anyone can learn to co-exist with dragons. At first, we thought of them as pets, but it wasn't long before we realized that they were much more. A dragon's devotion is unmatched by anything short of a close friend, or even a family member. In fact, once a human and a dragon are bonded, it's as if their very souls are connected. Not even Hiccup understands it completely."

Oscar was dumb-struck as he observed the activity in the arena below. A big blonde viking was addressing a group of children sitting on the floor and gesturing to a dragon that looked more like a boulder. Two platinum-haired teens, clearly siblings, were laughing at the antics of a large mostly-green dragon with two heads. A short, but brawny young viking threw himself off a large mostly redish-orange dragon that had just set itself on fire. "Incredible."

Astrid shrugged, "It's a pretty typical day,"

Suddenly there was a high-pitched whine in the air growing louder by the second. Oscar looked around to see where it was coming from. It seemed to be everywhere. Astrid laughed as she looked up, and Oscar followed her gaze. A black dot in the sky was growing larger and larger, and began taking on the shape of a black dragon diving straight towards the Academy's chain dome. At the last second, the dragon leveled out and a loud whoop of victory was heard. The dragon and its rider circled around the arena to slow down enough for a safe and graceful landing.

Hiccup leaped from the saddle and strode over to Astrid and wrapped her in a warm embrace, kissing her forehead.

Oscar was staring wide-eyed at the black dragon. What did Astrid call it? A Night Fury. Seeing the magnificent creature made Astrid's story totally believable. And Hiccup? He had met the young man briefly while recovering from his mental lapse. He was clearly intelligent, but at the time, there was no hint as to the level of confidence he now clearly possessed, boosted through the roof, no doubt, by sheer exhilaration from that aerial stunt he and his dragon had just pulled off.

"Hey, Hiccup," Astrid said. "Just so you know, our guest here remembers his name and some of his past now."

Hiccup turned to regard Oscar, seeming to realize for the first time that he was there and witness to his display of affection. "That's good news," he said, stepping towards Oscar and extending his hand. "I'm Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, First Rider of Berk."

Oscar accepted Hiccup's hand, which turned out to have a much stronger grip than he expected. "Oscar Rodgers," he responded. His eyes opened wider. "I guess I remember my last name now, as well."

"So, Hiccup," asked Astrid. "How is construction going?"

Hiccup shook his head. "It's not. we hit a small snag in the design aspect. Not everything that looks good on paper works well in practice without a few tweaks. It's just a matter of logistics, though. You know, getting the materials in place and in the right proportions. Nothing that a little mind-muscle can't solve."

Astrid grinned. "Well you certainly have plenty of that."

Hiccup laughed. "I was just taking a break from the project to get some flight time in. It was either that or watch Toothless knock things over until I gave in."

Oscar watched the exchange between the young man and clearly his lady. He still couldn't remember everything, but he was pretty sure that he did not have that sort of rapport with anyone back home. He refused to call it jealousy, but he found himself longing for the kind of belonging Hiccup seemed to have achieved. Maybe if he couldn't get home, he might find it here. Maybe getting lost here would turn out to be the best thing to happen in his life. One thing was for sure, he had absolutely no desire to go back to working such a mediocre job. If teen-agers could train and ride dragons here, then there had to be something more that life had to offer him, no matter where he ended up.

Hiccup and Astrid conversed for a few minutes, out of earshot from Oscar. "I need to head to the forge. Raenick the Frugal from Nartara is waiting with Gobber to go over the details of the trade agreement for a fire suppression system."

Astrid squinted at Hiccup. "Is that the red-headed milk drinker who arrived this morning?"

"Astrid, Are you jealous?" Hiccup asked.

"What? No. I mean yes. I don't know?" That last came out as a question.

"No need to be," Hiccup said, again kissing her forehead. "She's Nartara's minister of resources. Chief Tarina assigned her to work out the arrangements. I have no idea what the trade agreement will be, but it won't hurt that the one person who knows every single detail about Nartara's assets is here. Gobber needs me to provide an accurate figure on how much of our materials will be needed to make it work."

Oscar's mind wandered as the two continued to talk. Suddenly, almost as if someone flipped a switch, he remembered everything. Where he was from. How he got here. What he had read in that book that the archeological team had found which led them to the ice-entombed remains of Berk... Somwhere in the future.

It all came back in such a rush that his knees buckled and he collapsed, unconscious...


	7. Chapter 7

_I neither on nor claim any rights to How to Train Your Dragon..._

**A RIPPLE IN TIME  
Chapter 7 – To Be Useful**

Oscar awakened yet again in the bed in the healer's house. But this time, his full memory was present. He remembered it all coming back in an overwhelming rush that caused him to black out. Hiccup and Astrid must have brought him back here. Oscar looked around. It was mostly dark with just one small candle burning on the other side of the room, offering just enough light for Gothi to make her way around, doing whatever it was she needed to do to care for her patient. Movement caught his eye as a shadow detached itself from the rest of the gloom. He breathed a sigh of relieve as he realized that it was just Gothi standing up from the chair she had fallen asleep in. Apparently just waking up and glancing around was noisy enough to the old woman to alert her to a change.

She walked to Oscar's bedside table, picked up a corked bottle, shook it, pulled the cork and poured a dark liquid into a cup, which she held out to him. Even a good two feet from him, the contents gave off an pungent odor that, while not particularly unpleasant, made his nose itch. He shook his head, and Gothi pushed the cup at him, frowning. He knew that look all too well, His grandmother gave him that look when he tried to refuse medicine she gave him. It hadn't been easy for either of them after she took him in after her daughter and husband had died in that awful car crash. Oscar's heart skipped a beat and he was overwhelmed with grief as the restored memory of that resurfaced. Gothi's stern expression softened into concern.

"It's okay, ma'am." he said, taking the cup and drinking its contents. "I remember everything now, and I thought of something... unpleasant... from my childhood." He handed the cup back, and Gothi patted him on the hand as she took it from him. Whatever the medicine was, it started having an immediate effect. His body began to feel like it was floating, his muscles beginning to relax. It didn't dull his senses, though, and it didn't make him drowsy. But it felt good to lay there with absolutely no tension. He wished he had had access to the stuff after a long, mind-numbing day at work. It was amazing just how much stress one could build up sitting at a computer in a cubicle all day, especially with agents calling and telling him to hurry up with their clients' files, never mind that he had only received the work orders for them moments before and was already backlogged with orders that had come in before. Maybe if they wouldn't wait until the last damned minute...

He chuckled as a thought came to him. He was in a Viking village, who knew how many years in the past, with no apparent way to get back. That wasn't his job anymore. And now with full memory of his life, knowing he was not in any relationship back home in the future, and lived totally on his own, he realized that he was just fine with it. The money was fair, but where he was now seemed to thrive more on a barter system than a monetary-based economy. Somehow, that appealed to him. That and the fact that there were real, living, breathing dragons sharing the village.

Gothi had returned to her chair, and the rhythmic whistle-sigh of a dogdragon sleeping on one of the other beds caused Oscar to drift off into a contented sleep.

O O O

When he awoke the next morning, Oscar felt refreshed and full of energy. He was feeling an overwhelming connection to Berk and its people. Mostly due to the new personal beginning they represented for him. He wanted to become a part of this society. He wanted to learn what he could and use what he learned to contribute to it. And he wanted to learn to ride a dragon.

He knew there was concern about who he was, where he came from, and what his intentions would be. He needed to remove those concerns by earning genuine trust and standing. These people helped him. And he would do what he could to help them in return. There was nothing as a data entry clerk he could offer. But he always prided himself to be a fast learner. And one thing from the previous day he remembered vividly was how clean the air was, and how just breathing its cold sharpness invigorated him in a way that he had not experienced before. He had been an indoor person most of his life, accustomed to creature comforts and technology. But here and now, none of that seemed to matter to him. So what to do?

Gothi looked him over and nodded, and sent out one of her dogdragons again. Astrid showed up again not long after, looking concerned "You gave us a bit of a scare, yesterday," she said.

"Everything came back to me at once," Oscar responded. "It was very disorienting. I feel great, today."

"That's great," Astrid said. "Shall we finish the tour?"

"Actually," Oscar began. "I would really like to talk to Chief Stoick. I want to repay you all for taking me in while I recovered, and I want to find out how best to go about it."

Astrid regarded Oscar admiringly. "You want to be put to work?" This was new for her. Most of the time, people tried to find ways to get _out_ of doing work. The twins were the king and queen of laziness and procrastination. Snotlout wasn't much better, spending more time trying to look strong and capable than actually putting his strength and capability into practice. Fishlegs wasn't much into physical labor, but he did his fair share, and he used his mind to come up with solutions. The only one among her peers who seemed willing and able to serve, in many cases more than was needed, was Hiccup. And now, here was a stranger with no obligation to Berk expressing a desire to serve.

"If that is what it takes," was Oscar's answer. "As I was telling you yesterday, my job back where I come from, was tedious and boring. I want to be useful. I may be stuck here for a long time, and I want to earn my keep."

Astrid nodded. "Well then, let's go see Stoick. He should be having breakfast in the great hall right about now."

They exited Gothi's house. Stormfly was waiting on the balcony. Seeing Oscar, she approached and nudged him in the chest. "Good to see you, too," he said, resting a hand on her snout, just below her horn. The Nadder crooned at him.

"She was concerned about you," Astrid said. "When you passed out yesterday."

"They really are sensitive creatures, aren't they?" Oscar observed.

"You have no idea," Astrid said with a grin. "Hop on behind me."

"Are you serious?" Oscar looked at Astrid, incredulous.

"Hey," she said. "If you're going to be staying in Berk, you might as well get used to riding a dragon. Besides, you could probably use some breakfast, and if we walk, there may not be anything left when we get there."

He couldn't argue with her logic. After she climbed into her saddle, he managed to get on the dragon behind her.

"Hold on to me," she told him. "Stormfly is one of the most graceful dragons I know, but when a nadder takes off, it can be unsettling for a first-time rider."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, swallowing hard as he did. Even though he was at least fifteen years older than her, he was still human, and a male. And with no physical intimacy in his life, having his arms around such a beautiful young lady felt very awkward. Not that he would entertain any thoughts of intimacy with Astrid. She was a minor, for God's sake. And she was involved with the Chief's son. There was no way he wanted to get caught up in that sort of misunderstanding. But it did feel good to hold a girl in his arms, and it served as yet another demonstration of how empty and lonely his life, that had seems so adequate for so long, actually had been.

"Ready?" Astrid called over her shoulder.

"Yep," Oscar answered. He felt the dragon gather herself before launching into the air, making his stomach feel like it was being sucked into his feet. "Good God Almighty," he yelped.

Astrid laughed.

The flight made the trek to the great hall very quick. If they had walked, it would have taken about twenty minutes rather than two. Stormfly touched down gracefully on the landing at the top of the stairs leading down into the village. The humans dismounted, and Astrid rested her hand on her dragon's neck. "Wait here, girl. I'll be back shortly." Together, she and Oscar entered the great hall.

It was rather quiet inside. Stoick was indeed eating breakfast at the head table while reading over progress reports with a sour expression on his face.

"Uhm, Astrid," Oscar said quietly. "He's frowning. Maybe I shouldn't bother him right now."

Astrid actually _giggled_ at this. "He's always frowning. And now is a better time than any. If you wait, you'll have to track him down in the village somewhere. Lunch and dinner time, he likes to go home, and you don't _want_ to bother him there. Go grab you a plate and I'll introduce you"

Oscar did as Astrid instructed. Breakfast actually looked really good. Barley mash with maple syrup and bacon with fresh baked bread with berries cooked in it and a tankard of chilled Yak milk. He had never had yak milk before. It had an unusual taste, but it wasn't bad. He could easily get used to it. After getting his meal, he rejoined Astrid who escorted him to the head table.

"Good morning, Chief," Astrid said cheerily.

Stoick looked up, his frown melting into something akin to a friendly smile. "Ah, Astrid. Good morning."

"Allow me to present Oscar Rodgers. He's feeling a lot better today, and wanted to speak with you."

Stoick glanced between the pile of papers on the table and Oscar, standing in front of him, sighed with what seemed like relief, and shoved the papers aside. "Thank you, Astrid," he said.

Astrid took her leave, and Oscar was standing there nervous and awkward.

Stoick considered using his usual intimidating personality, but Gothi had warned him that he needed to handle the stranger, Oscar, delicately, as she did not understand what had caused his mental lapse in the first place. So he decided to take a page out of his son's book and attempt to be light-hearted.

"I'm not gonna bite you, lad," he said, amused at Oscar's unease. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing with both hands towards the bench on the other side of the table.

"Thank you, sir," said Oscar

"What can I do for you... Rodgerson, was it?"

Oscar paled for a moment, remembering that mechanical voice from Odin's Mirror that had mistakenly identified him as someone named Alarick Rodgerson, and something called an authorized liaison, Berk Alpha Alpha Seven. There had to be something to that, now that he was in the past, and it scared him. "Rodgers," he corrected politely. "Oscar Rodgers."

"Ah, yes," Stoick said with a nod. "That was it. What can I do for you, Oscar Rodgers."

Oscar swallowed. Here it went. "First off, I want to thank you and your village for taking me in, and caring for me while I recovered from my... Issue."

Stoick shook his head. "Think nothing of it, lad. I've been told that your memory is back, and I am glad to hear it. Perhaps you can tell me where you are from and how you got here."

It was clearly not a question. The Chief was making it clear he wanted an answer. "I can't tell you," he said and gulped as Stoick narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "What I mean by that is that I am not sure where I am in relation to where I came from, and I cannot explain how I got here," Every word of that was the truth. He knew that he was somewhere in the Archipelego, and while he saw a map of where Berk was located, he couldn't be sure where it was, in relation to the United States. And he certainly had no way to explain how a time portal worked. He didn't understand it himself.

Stoick eased back and nodded for Oscar to continue.

"The land I come from is called 'America,'" he said carefully, confident that nobody in this region, in this time period had ever heard of it. "It lies somewhere across the ocean to the West, assuming were anywhere near Iceland."

"Iceland is not too far from here," Stoick replied. "But I've never heard of this... America. And you have no idea how to get there from here?"

Oscar shook his head. "No, sir. I have no idea how I am going to get home. And that brings me to what I wanted to speak to you about,"

Stoick wasn't entirely happy. He was no closer to understanding this Oscar Rodgers' situation and how it might impact Berk. He had suspected that there were indeed lands to the West, but the furthest he had been was to Dragon Island, and there were no known navigational charts that indicated any sort of safe passage further. However this man from America got here, Stoick knew no way of getting him back to where he said he came from. At least not yet. "Go on," he prompted.

"Since there's probably no way I can get home, I would like to stay here." Stoick frowned, and so Oscar pressed on. "I want to find work and contribute to the village. I want to repay Berk for its kindness, and I want to do it by being useful."

Stoick sighed. Berk had begun to be a center of trade among the tribes who were beginning to understand what the end of the dragon war meant, and some people had started coming to Berk to understand more. As a result, the village was growing. And while Oscar did not look to be very strong, he had long since learned never to turn away help when it is offered. "What you ask is fair, and I am going to trust that your promise not to harm my village, its people, or the dragons that reside here will be honored." Oscar bowed his head in agreement. "Very well. I have a meeting with the heads of Berk's tradesmen tomorrow morning. I will mention your offer to help and see if any of them have a place for you. In the meantime, I will make one of our guest houses available to you, until we can build you your own place. After all, we cannot have you taking up valuable bed space in Gothi's house, now can we?"

Oscar's eyes widened. He was going to have his own place? And a guest house he could move into immediately?

"Is something wrong, lad?" Stoick said in response to Oscar's expression.

"No, sir," Oscar replied. "Where I come from, it's not as easy to get one's own place."

Stoick accepted the explanation. He stood up from the table, draining his tankard. "I need to get going. A Chief's work is never done." He gathered up the stack of reports. "Feel free to stay and finish your breakfast."

With that, Stoick the Vast strode towards the exit, leaving Oscar alone.


	8. Chapter 8

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How To Train Your Dragon..._

**A RIPPLE IN TIME  
Chapter 8 – The Truth**

Oscar stayed in the great hall and finished his breakfast. When he was done, he carried both his and the Chief's plate back to the kitchen area and handed them to a grateful worker. As he turned to leave, he was approached by a tough-looking Viking with a black beard that didn't seem to want to grow well.

"Oscar Rodgers," the man said. "I am Spitelout, Stoick's second-in-command. I have been sent to escort you to the guest housing area, so you'll know the way. If you will follow me, please."

The way Spitelout spoke the last word made it sound somewhat foreign to him. Oscar suspected that pleasantries were not this man's strong suit. And there was an air about him that suggested that he would rather be doing something other than escorting a stranger to his living space. But as second-in-command, Oscar suspected that duty was more important than personal preference. He followed Spitelout out of the great hall and back down into the village, and then up a road that was clearly newer than the rest, which lead to a collection of small houses that while apart from the village proper, were made to face towards the center, so those who would occupy them would not feel isolated or unwelcome. Smoke was rising from the smokehole in the roof of the house next to the one Spitelout had led him to.

"Here you are. Make yourself at home," Spitelout said, handing Oscar a house key. "Lunch will be served in the great hall at high noon. Stoick wanted me to tell you to feel free to mingle with the people, if you wish."

Oscar thanked Spitelout and extended his hand. The Viking looked at it as if it were a snake ready to strike, but then took it in a grip that was clearly tighter than it needed to be, as if the man had something he needed to prove. Spitelout took his leave, and Oscar entered the guest house. It was sparsely, but comfortably furnished, rather like some of the nicer lower-tiered hotels he had occasionally stayed in the few times he had to travel back in the future. There were a few books on one of the tables in the living room area, and he picked one of them up. "A History of Dragon Training," he read the title out loud, "By Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Fistst Rider of Berk." He thumbed through the book and noted that some of the illustrations, drawn by a careful and skilled hand, were very similar to the ones in the book his cousin had shown him back home. The writing was in Norse runes, but just as he clearly could understand and speak the language, he found he could understand the writing. He eased down in one of the comfortable chairs and began reading. There was an account of the war between Vikings and Dragons that had lasted for roughly three hundred years, pretty much ever since Berk was founded. Oscar found himself mesmerized by Hiccup's own account of shooting down a Night Fury, ultimately befriending it, and how together they brought down the Red Death. The way Hiccup wrote about his role in the ending of the war made it seem less significant than it actually was. _"__They all treated me like some sort of hero. I only did what I knew was right."_

After that introduction, the book introduced the different common species of dragon residing on or around Berk with a brief biography of the teens who were the first to ride them. It was pretty much word-for-word of what he had read in the book written by Eryn Haddock... Or would one day be written by her.

There was also a short section on the mating habits of dragons, in which there was a detailed drawing of an island with a very deep lagoon, as seen from the air.

There was a knock at the door, and he put the book down and called out, "It's open"

The door swung inward, and in walked a woman he thought he would never see again. "So, your memory is back," she said coldly

"Rachel?" he asked, still not believing it was actually her.

"That is not my name in this time period," she said, looking directly into his eyes. "Call me Raenik the Frugal. I am the minister of resources for Lady Tarina of Nartara. I'm here to finalize the arrangements with Chief Stoick and his son and heir concerning a fire suppression and irrigation system."

"Very funny, Rachel," Oscar said. "Where's your boss, my cousin? I assume he's here, too?"

Rachel/Raenik shook her head. "No. History recorded that he couldn't get back into the core. a pillar of rock came out of the ground right at the entrance and blocked it. Apparently, I will manage to get him out of there before the island sinks."

Oscar's eyes widened. "It sank after I left? Was everyone alright?"

Raenik nodded solemnly. "It will be close, but the helicopters will get the team out just in time. It's a shame that all their research will be left behind."

Now, Oscar's eyes narrowed. "Something about your expression says that you don't really think it's a shame."

She grinned. "Your species is not ready for what your cousin discovered. The way things are going, I wonder if they will ever be ready."

Oscar frowned. "My species? What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to say that you are not human?"

Raenik sighed. "You are already past the point of no return, Rodgers. You passed it when you stepped through the Portal. You are from the future and therefore are a risk to the timeline. And yet at the same time, all our calculations and research told us that you were meant to be here. You are going to have to be indoctrinated as a Temporal Liaison."

"What?" asked Oscar.

"I have been given a three-pronged assignment to this planet," she began. "First, as a messenger to the survivors of a ship that crashed here long ago. Second, in this period, so I can supervise the final days of dragons on this planet, and finally, in the time you come from, to monitor the destruction of the Portal: the removal of the last Icarian footprint on Earth."

"Icarian," he said. "That's your species?"

She nodded.

"So what do you really look like?" he asked with a grin. "Scales and snake eyes? Fur and whiskers? Forehead ridges?"

She rolled her eyes. "This is pretty much what I really look like," she said as she reached up and plucked something out of her eye. Instead of white with blue irises, her now exposed true eye was purple with orange irises. "That's the only real observable difference between our species."

Oscar swallowed hard. She was telling the truth. She wasn't human. "Why are your people on Earth?"

"The dragons," she said.

"What about them?" Oscar asked.

"They aren't supposed to be here," she answered.

He ran a hand through his hair. "What do you mean? They aren't supposed to be on Berk?"

"No," she said. "They aren't really supposed to be on this planet." She sighed. "Roughly ten thousand years ago, one of the outer-most stars in the galaxy was going supernova, and the Icarian Ministry of Preservation ordered the evacuation of a male and female of every species possible from that star's inhabited world. the Dragons were among those species. The standard procedure is to relocate a rescued species to a new planet with similar climate, thus preserving it from extinction."

Oscar was nodding his head in understanding. "Sounds like the Noah's Ark story. So I suppose that your people were behind that, too, and there's not really a God, after all?"

She frowned at him and shook her head. "There _is_ a God. He's known to us and the Dragons as the Creator of All."

That gave him pause. He had never been one to put his faith in any God. He had no use for religion or those who practiced it. But here was an alien from another planet, a member of a race that clearly was far more advanced than the people of Earth, declaring God's existence, and insinuating that even the dragons believed in Him. He came to the realization that he was going to have to re-think his assumptions.

"So what happened with the ship carrying the Dragons," he asked.

Raenik got back on topic. "There was a malfunction in their stardrive as they were passing through this solar system. They came out of translight too close to Jupiter and the gravitational field threw them on a direct course for Earth. They barely were able to slow down enough to avoid slamming into the atmosphere like a meteor. They managed a controlled entry, and crash-landed just off shore of an island that Berk has become familiar with. The island that dragons fly to every Snoggletog."

Oscar licked his lips. He picked up the book he had been reading, which was still opened to the page talking about the mating habbits of dragons. "Hiccup mentioned it in this book. In this picture he drew, he seems to have made it a point of accenting the deep lagoon. It actually looks to me like a crater. Is that where the ship crashed?"

Raenik smiled. "Yes," she answered. "The ship had lost power. The stasis chambers were failing. The crew had no choice but to release the dragons onto the island, knowing good and well that it would potentially pollute the ecology of this world. But it was their mission to preserve these creatures. And the island was isolated."

Oscar nodded. "But clearly the dragons migrated."

"Not of their own volition," Rainic said. "They were called by the Behemoth, which has since been named 'the Red Death.'"

Oscar shuddered. "The monster dragon Hiccup and Toothless defeated."

Raenik nodded. "Earth has two draconic species of its own. The Behemoth and the Leviathan. Berk has yet to encounter the latter. And the last of the former is now dead. The age of dragons on Earth is drawing to a close, be they indigenous or extra-terrestrial. In five more generations, Berk and its dragons will be a footnote in Icarian and human history."

Oscar's face paled, as he remembered what Robert had told him. "The Blizzard?"

For the first time, deep sadness was reflected in Raenik's eyes. "Yes. And the worst part of it is knowing and not being able to do anything about it. An evacuation team will come right before the end. The dragons will be saved, but Berk and its people will be destroyed."

Something was off here. Robert had told him that there was an indication that most of Berk's people were evacuated, with only a few stubborn hold-outs remaining behind to perish in the storm, among whom was the chief, Erik Haddock V.

"What?" asked Raenik, noticing Oscar's far-off expression.

Oscar told her what his cousin had told him.

She shook her head. "No. Pre-mission briefing revealed that there would be no survivors from Berk on this world. Which means somehow, this planet's future history has changed. And the only random variable in the equation is you." She looked him in the eye. "Tell me every detail you remember concerning the Portal and your interaction with the people here."

So he did.

Raenik's eyes were wide. "The portal responded to your voice?"

Oscar nodded. "It referred to me as Alarick Rodgerson, Authorized Temporal Liazon Berk Alpha Alpha Seven."

Raenik pursed her lips. "I am Raenik Daragswellna, Authorized Temporal Liaison Berk Alpha Alpha Four. Liaisons AA1, AA2 and AA3 are heading the evacuation team, five generations from now. They will oversee the removal of dragons from Berk, Nartara and Dragon Island. There is no AA5, AA6... _or_ AA7."

Oscar closed his eyes and shook his head. "Not yet."

Raenik rolled her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean..."

It was Oscar's turn to roll his eyes. "You yourself said that because I know too much already, I need to be indoctrinated as a temporal agent. Wouldn't that make me AA5?"

Raenik began to nod her head, slowly. "Yes. And somehow, that will resort in two more Liaisons being added after you. But while history records your disappearance from your time, everyone else from your expedition was accounted for, and they all signed a temporal nondisclosure agreement. Nothing to make them into Liaisons."

Oscar sighed. "Well, AA7's last name was Rodgerson. Somehow one or two of my descendants will be involved."

"An interesting theory, Rodgers," she said. "But what you call Odin's Mirror won't be built for another five generations. If AA7 is of your bloodline, he would likely be your great great great great grandson, give or take a great, depending on his age. And all of your ancestors, due to their connection to you and the special case surrounding your arrival here would be indoctrinated as well, and because of the connection, would also be assigned to the Berk project."

Oscar blushed at this point. "One thing you aren't factoring into this equation, Raenik. You said that you had a three-pronged mission here. As a messenger to the crew of the Ark, as an observer during the last days of draconic life on Earth, and as overseer of the destruction of the portal."

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "So?"

Not knowing where the boldness within him was coming from, he plowed forward. "So... How old are you, Raenik?"

She smiled sheepishly. "A gentleman like you should know better than to ask a lady about her age."

His serious expression did not change. "Just humor me, please."

She met his gaze with the same expression. "You know the Biblical account of how old Methusaleh lived to be?"

He nodded.

She fixed him with a mischievous grin. "Let's just say that, compared to me, Methusaleh was but a child when he died."

He nodded slowly. "What would happen if a human and an Icarian were to mate?"

Her eyes narrowed again, "I don't like where you are going with this, Rodgers."

"Again," he said. "Humor me."

She pondered the purely hypothetical scenario. "Well, Humans and Icarians are genetically compatible, with only a 2.3295% probability of defect. Assuming any offspring were born to such a union, they would be very resilient. Their immune system would have a strong chance of being invulnerable to most forms of disease, and the natural lifespan would be... Long, to say the least..."

Oscar nodded. "the portal gets built in five _human_ generations, right? Hypothetically speaking, would it possibly be two Human-Icarian hybrid generations?"

Very few things made Raenik nauseous. But the implications of what Oscar was suggesting made her want to vomit. She was not given to frivolous romantic relations with the natives of this backwater planet. She wasn't even given to such relations among her own people. "More like one."

"What color do you think our two children's eyes will be?" he asked her, earning a look that could curdle fresh milk.

"Let's get something straigt, future-man," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "There is no way on the Creator of All's green earth that I will ever marry you, let alone mate with you."

Oscar smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not. It does not change the fact that there will be two additional temporal liaisons added after me. You yourself said that any children I may father would also be indoctrinated. At least one of those liaisons is named Rodgerson, a solid viking name for a son born to someone whose surname happens to be Rodgers. You seem to be a logical sort of person. What does logic tell you?"

Raenik frowned. "They never told me any of this during mission preparations."

"Can you think of any reason why they wouldn't," Oscar asked.

Raenik pondered the question for a moment, and then sighed. "If a temporal agent's direct involvement with a timeline is unavoidable and proves to play a crucial role in the outcome of a temporal mission, they would not be briefed on the events to avoid the risk of interfering with them." She fixed Oscar with a cold stare. "They _knew_ we would become involved, and they didn't tell me. Nevermind that it's my life they are messing with. I'm supposed to go home when all of this is over. Now I am going to be stuck with you!"

Oscar laughed.

"What about this do you find funny, Rodgers?" Raenick continued to glare at him.

"'When all this is over,' as you put it, is when the portal is destroyed centuries from now. I am human. I'll be long dead by then. And you probably _will_ go home. The only difference will be that you will have had a husband and at least two children between now and then. It doesn't have to be the end of the world."

She sighed. "You're right. I'm in the middle of this temporal mission thing, and even I have a hard time with non-linear reasoning sometimes. I've been living among your species for too long."

Oscar nodded. "Neither you nor I belong in this time. We have that much in common. There's nobody here and now we can really talk to about who we really are and where and when we are from. Nobody but each other."

Raenik could not help but nod at Oscar's words.

Oscar continued. "That to me seems like a good foundation for a good friendship, at the very least."

"It doesn't bother you that I'm not human?" She asked.

Oscar smiled. "You have very beautiful eyes."

O O O

Many months passed after Oscar learned the truth about the dragons' presence, and of the existence of space aliens on Earth. Raenik traveled back and forth between Berk and Nartara during that time, and Oscar was always glad to see her when she visited. A true friendship had indeed formed, and they both enjoyed each other's company, but Raenik still had reservations about them officially becoming a couple.

"_It's not you," she had explained. "It's me. In my society, we do not unequally yoke ourselves with non-believers. You refuse to believe that God exists. He is a very real part of my life."_

_Oscar had sighed. "I don't _refuse_ to believe. I'm just not ready to just toss everything aside commit to something like that."_

_Raenik nodded in understanding. "Until you are ready, I cannot be either."_

They hadn't talked about it after that. They respected each others' personal space, which included their beliefs. So their friendship remained strong.

Oscar had found his place among the People of Berk, which just so happened to be all over the place. The tradesmen of the village found in him a genuine willingness to help wherever he was needed, so he had become something of a Jack of all trades. Some days he was a farm hand. Some days he was a leather worker. And some days he found himself out at sea as a fisherman. Where once he was greeted with looks of suspicion, he was now greeted by everyone with warm smiles, and he truly felt like he belonged.

One of the fondest memories he had as a floating worker was helping to build a house, only to be presented with the house key when it was finished, along with a boisterous proclamation from Stoick the Vast that he was now a full citizen of Berk.

One thing remained missing before this would truly be his home: a dragon of his own.


	9. Chapter 9

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How to Train Your Dragon..._

* * *

**A RIPPLE IN TIME  
Chapter 9 - Gloria**

"Be absolutely sure that you truly want to do this," Hiccup advised Oscar as he and the newest citizen of Berk waited for Astrid to join them. "A dragon you share a bond with is not a pet, and not just a friend. He or she will be a companion for as long as you both live."

"Sound like marriage," Oscar quipped.

"In a way, it is," Hiccup responded solemnly. "There's an almost spiritual connection that transcends anything else I have yet to experience. It's not about love or romance, but about fellowship. When you earn a dragon's trust, there is almost nothing he or she won't do for you. When you bond with a dragon, it goes even deeper." He took on a far-away look in his eyes, frowned, and swallowed hard. "It's amazing. For three hundred years, we were killing these magnificent creatures all because we didn't understand them. I can only imagine where Vikings would be in the world if we knew then what we know now."

Oscar nodded. Again, he remembered when he and his cousins pretended to be Vikings as kids, exploring and discovering new lands. Sometimes they pretended to fight dragons, and sometimes they pretended to ride them. The imagined discoveries were always more grand in the latter instances. "Together, Vikings and Dragons would have mapped the world by now."

Hiccup's mouth dropped open. "Map the world," he whispered. Now his expression shifted to one Oscar had seen before. Hiccup was in full idea mode, and he started pacing back and forth. "It would take years, but with Vikings on the backs of dragons, the world would seem a lot smaller." He stood there grinning.

"Or a lot bigger," Oscar said.

Astrid picked that moment to arrive. "Uhm... Midgard to Hiccup..."

"Oh... Astrid... Hi..." Hiccup stammered as his attention returned to the here and now. "Sorry. Thanks to Oscar, I just had an incredible idea. It's going to take a lot of preparing, but it will benefit Berk greatly."

Astrid stifled a chuckle, "I'm sure it will. So are we going to Dragon Island or what?"

Hiccup nodded. "If Oscar is sure he's ready for the commitment that comes with the bond, we are."

Astrid crossed her arms and stared at Oscar through her bangs. "Well?"

Oscar took a deep breath. "This is my home, now. So yes. I am ready for the commitment."

Astrid nodded in satisfaction.

"Let me round up Toothless and we'll be on our way," Hiccup said enthusiastically.

O O O

Rounding up Toothless amounted to just calling his name, and he was there. Oscar climbed up on the Night Fury's back, behind Hiccup, and in a few minutes, he, Hiccup, Astrid and their dragons were in the air, headed for Dragon Island. There was a pack of supplies attached to Stormfly's saddle for Gelbrun.

As the dragon flies, the trip to the island was short. It would have taken at least a day by ship, but after an hour of flight, they touched down on the beach. They weren't alone, as Gelbrun and his Majestic Flamescale, Brokenclaw were waiting for them.

"Ah. Hiccup! Astrid! Good to see you both," Gelbrun said with a smile.

"Good to see you, too, Gelbrun. I trust all is well?" Hiccup responded, with Astrid nodding with a smile of her own. Even now, it was hard to believe that the wild-haired former chief of Nartara was once a hater of dragons. And now, here he was, the sole permanent human resident of Dragon Island, and a friend to all of its native residents. Of course, Gelbrun attributed his change of heart and mind to a spiritual experience which led to him embracing faith in one God, the Creator of All. Hiccup was not a religious person. He observed the holidays like every other viking, but as far as prayer and worship of the Norse gods, he left that to other people. He was the sort that put faith in what could be seen and touched. He did not discount the possibility that there was something bigger and greater than him, but it had never seemed to show any sort of interest in him, so he figured that whatever or whomever it was had more pressing issues so he never bothered to reach out. Too much to do in the here and now. Maybe in his twilight years, he would have time to dwell on it. But for now, there was too much to do.

Gelbrun regarded Oscar with a curious expression. "I remember you, lad. Last time I saw you, you were unconscious. I trust you recovered with no ill effects?"

Oscar nodded. "I lost my memory for a short time. But it all came back to me. I'm not able to explain _how_ I ended up on Lone Island, but I'm not worried about it. This is my home now, and I'm here with Hiccup and Astrid to train a dragon.

Gelbrin grinned. "Well, you've come to the right place. And at a very good time, too."

"What do you mean," asked Hiccup.

"About two days ago," began Gelbrun, "a new dragon showed up. It's a Nadder, but not like any I have ever seen. It's scales are white, with the pale blue and yellow colored markings. She's the most beautiful Nadder I've ever seen."

Stormfly tilted her head to the side and raised her tail spikes.

Gelbrun glanced at the Nadder and chuckled. "Present company excepted, of course,"

Stormfly actually _nodded_ with obvious satisfaction, and the spikes settled down again.

"Sounds like something worth seeing," said Astrid.

After offloading the supplies and a cup of tea, the four humans and their dragons set off inland, with Gelbrun in the lead.

"Hiccup, I want to thank you for the copy of the Book of Dragons," said Gelbrun as they walked, "I've made a lot of notes on things I have observed. You're welcome to review them while you are here, just in case there's something you haven't discovered yet."

Hiccup was not about to dismiss the possibility. Most of the dragons here were wild, and he couldn't very well shoulder the burden of his responsibilities to Berk and observe wild dragons all the time. Having Gelbrun on the island doing that sort of thing full time was a great benefit. Some of the man's reports on the matter, while not always providing new information, often gave new insight on what was known. And sometimes, that proved to be very useful. "I'll be glad to look them over. I have found that the more I learn, the more there _is_ to learn."

They came upon an a wide clearing in the woodland region of the island, and there were many dragons lounging peacefully. In the years since the Red Death's demise, the island had begun transforming into something green and inviting, rather than barren and depressing, as Hiccup had first seen it.

"This is my favorite place to come," said Gelbrun. "It looks very much like the meadow in Paradise I was shown... Where I was forgiven..." He blinked back tears.

The three from Berk looked around at the dragons, who were looking back at them with curiosity. And then they saw her. The white Nadder was on the far side of the clearing, crouching restfully. Her head was turned to the side so she could focus an eye on the group. No... Not the group. Just one of them. Oscar.

Hiccup noticed the intensity of the Nadder's stare, and tapped Oscar on the shoulder. "Something tells me you won't have to look hard for your dragon."

Oscar couldn't help but stare at the Nadder. "She's spectacular," he said. "What do I do?"

"Astrid," Hiccup asked. "You got this?"

Astrid nodded. "Okay, Oscar," she said. "Slowly walk towards her. Don't make any sudden moves."

Oscar did as instructed, keeping his eye on the beautiful creature before him. The other dragons in the clearing didn't seem the slightest bit interested in him. As he drew close to the dragon, its tail snapped erect with its spines extended. Oscar stopped walking.

"Okay," Astrid said. "Slowly raise your hand, palm out, and talk to her.

"What do I say," he asked, raising his hand.

"Complement her," She answered. "Nadders are very vain. They spend a great deal of time grooming themselves. They love it when others notice."

Oscar continued to approach, holding out his hand. "Hey," he said in a soothing tone. "Just look at you. Where I come from, there is nothing like you. And from what I have seen even here, you're a unique and beautiful creature." He noticed that her tail spines were slowly laying down, but she still seemed a little agitated. "I would really like to be your friend. Would you like that?" The Nadder stepped forward and sniffed Oscar's hand, then pressed her snout into his open palm.

Oscar's eyes opened, and his knees felt like they were turning to jelly as his very soul was assaulted with every emotion all at once, and at the center of it all was a sense that he and this dragon belonged to each other. "Oh my," he said as tears leaked from his eyes. The Nadder pulled back, _nodded,_ and knelt down in the grass.

Hiccup clapped him on the shoulder. "Outstanding," he said, nodding. "I trust you understand what I was telling you about the bond, now?"

Oscar nodded. "I've never felt anything like that. It was amazing."

"Even Snotlout got a little teary-eyed when he and Hookfang bonded," Astrid said with a smile. She was glad that Oscar succeeded here. Not everyone did. "It was the same for me and Stormfly."

Gelbrun stood there smiling as well. "So, lad," he said. "What will you call this fine specimen?"

Oscar stroked the stubble of what would eventually qualify as a beard, by Viking standards. He had been so focused on bonding with a dragon, that he hadn't considered naming one. As he pondered the issue, the cloud cover briefly parted, and sunlight struck the Nadder's scales. They were not just white. They were _brillant_ in the sun, seeming to be casting their own radiance. Oscar could summon only one word. "Glorious," he said. Then he grinned ear to ear, "That's it. Gloria. After my maternal grandmother. She was no dragon, but her personality was no less fiery." He turned to the Nadder. "Mind if I call you Gloria?"

The Nadder tilted her head from side to side, clearly thinking it over. Then she nodded again, and from that moment on, She was known as Gloria, and she and Oscar were inseparable.

O O O

After returning to Gelbrun's house, with Gloria following along, the three visitors from Berk took a seat at the older man's table. He was a gracious host, providing bowls of deliciously prepared fish stew. "Hiccup," Astrid asked, "Did you give Gelbrun your recipe?"

The heir of Berk shook his head.

"I trust it is to your liking?" Gelbrun stated. Everyone was nodding as they chewed.

Gelbrun sat down with his bowl of stew in front of him. But he didn't immediately begin eating. Instead, he bowed his head in reverence. "Blessed are you, Lord God, Creator of all, who has provided this bounty. May it sustain our bodies as you sustain our souls. All glory to you, forever." Then he proceeded to enjoy his meal with his guests.

Oscar found this interesting. Here was a Viking, praying to God as a believer of a doctrine that history never recorded as having been preached in the region at this point in time. He almost sounded like Raenik when she prayed. He wondered if the two were somehow connected, though he figured he was not Icarian. He would have to ask her when she came to Berk next. Or he could go visit her on Nartara, now that he had a dragon friend. After he learned to ride, of course. So many wonderful new options were presenting themselves. No. He no longer even wanted to find a way back to his own time.

They ate in silence, enjoying the respite, and looking forward to what came next. Well, Astrid, Hiccup and Gelbrun were looking forward to it. Oscar was inwardly scared to death. He had of course ridden on dragons, as a passenger. That's how he got here. But very soon, unless his dragon refused to fly with him, he would be flying solo. He remembered the one time he tried riding a horse as a teen-ager. That had nearly ended in disaster. The animal had picked up on his fear, and decided to go full gallop. It had been all Oscar could do to stay in the saddle. He never desired to ride a horse again. And now, he was about to ride a _dragon_.

O O O

Behind the human house, Stormfly and Gloria made themselves comfortable in the grass.

"I'm envious," said Stormfly. "Never in my life have I seen on of our kind with your coloring. It's beautiful."

"Well, thank you," said Gloria. "Mother told me that it's quite rare, with only one in ten thousand hatching this way, with only one in a hundred of them surviving, because we stand out so aluringly to predators on clear days. So I guess I'm one of the lucky ones."

Stormfly nodded. "So what do you think of your human?"

Gloria became thoughtful. "He's weird," she said. "Like he's not meant to exist. But he seems nice. I think I like him. I think I would even without the bond."

Stormfly tilted her head. "You know he's going to ride you, don't you?"

"Ride me," Gloria asked, sounding a little indignant. "I don't think so. I mean, what is that even _like?_"

Stormfly chuckled. "It's actually quite wonderful," she said. "My human and I Fly together all the time. Her mate flies with his Night Fury companion all the time. And many of the other two-legs are trading their weapons for saddles. Things have changed over the last few years, all because dragons and Vikings are discovering what they can be together."

Gloria pondered this information for a moment. "I heard from the other dragons here that a great monster once held them enslaved, and a Night Fury with his human destroyed her and freed the other dragons. This Night Fury and his human who are here now... Are they-"

"-One and the same," said Toothless, as he sauntered over to join the two Nadders. "My brother and I fought hard that day. It cost him a foot, but together we prevailed, and now, though there have been many challenges, both our kinds are starting to enjoy a golden age."

Gloria bowed her head in near-reverence. "I never expected to meet _the_ dragon who began the new era. I am so honored."

Toothless felt a little embarrassed. "I only did what had to be done. And without Hiccup and that crazy mind of his, it probably wouldn't have been done. So the new era began with a human and a dragon trusting each other with their very lives."

Gloria bowed again. "If the two of you can trust a human to ride on your back, I suppose I can, too."

Toothless gave a mischievous chuckle. "Don't make it that easy for him. You need to let him ride you, but make the first time a challenge. Don't hurt him. Make it fun. When Hiccup first brought out the saddle he made for me, I knew exactly what he had in mind. I ran him all over that cove before I let him catch me. It was exhilarating for both of us." His tone reflected fondness for the memory.

"Well, you _could_ start things off that way," Stormfly said. "Or you could do what I did. Just trust him. He will be your companion, and you his. Shouldn't that be what matters most?"

Toothless cocked his head to the side. "She has a point. And looking back, had I known then what I have learned since, I probably would have just let him put the saddle on me. When Hiccup is on my back and we are flying together, I feel more whole than I ever did, even before I lost my tail fin."

The three dragons crouched in silence after that, content to enjoy the fine weather that had graced Dragon Island that day.

O O O

"Okay," said Astrid. "Call Gloria to you." Astrid said as they left Gelbrun's house.

Oscar called the Nadder's name, and she appeared from the other side of the house, grass and soil falling off her legs as she approached. "Sorry to disturb your rest, girl," he said, sincerely. "We've got some work to do together. I need to learn to ride you."

Astrid whistled, and Stormfly appeared pretty much the same way, with Toothless right behind her. "Okay, Oscar," she said. "When we get back to Berk, we'll take your measurements for a custom saddle, but today, you will be learning to ride bare-back. Expect a bruised backside." She said that last sentence with a wry grin.

Oscar gulped. This was really happening. He was about to ride an actual dragon. A dragon he now shared a soul-bond with. A dragon that was quite possibly the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"First," Astrid said. "Approach her calmly like you did earlier. Put your hand gently on her chin, and gently slide it back to her neck."

Oscar did as he was instructed, and as his hand slid across Gloria's chin-scales, the Nadder closed her eyes and knelt down.

"This calms your Nadder and causes her to crouch," Astrid continued. "After a bit of training, she'll crouch in response to voice command or hand signal. And in many cases, she will crouch if you simply approach her in a way that is clear you mean to ride her. But for your first flight together, everything that encourages trust and gentleness is a good idea, and will make that other stuff come easier."

"So I just climb on, now?" Oscar was impressed with Astrid's explanation, and how accurately Gloria's response to his touch matched it. But he was nervous about doing something wrong and causing his new friend pain.

Astrid and Hiccup exchanged glances. "You need to try," Hiccup said. "Gentleness and trust are very important at this stage in the game, but you also need to show confidence. Your dragon needs to see that you want to trust her as much as you want her to trust you. Don't be afraid, but be careful."

Oscar swallowed hard. This was the moment of truth. "Okay, girl," he said. "I trust you. Please trust me." He swung his right leg over the white Nadder's back, just behind her wings. It felt awkward, nut not uncomfortable. Months of hard work helping out in various trades had worked wonders for him. His job back in the future, sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer screen all day and mashing keys, had left him more than less than limber. But all the daily exercise he had enjoyed fix that nicely. "You okay, girl?"

The Nadder gave a positive-sounding warble.

"Very good, Oscar," said Astrid, smiling. She was so glad she had an opportunity to help someone train a Nadder. It wasn't what she had specifically come for. She was there because Stormfly was the second fastest dragon on Berk, and if something happened and they needed to return quickly, it made sense that the fastest dragons be available. The fact that a Nadder had singled out Oscar just made her presence that much more advantageous. "Alright, no time like the present," she said.

"You mean the past," Oscar mumbled under his breath.

"Time to ride," Astrid said.

"I don't think I am ready to take to the sky just yet," he said.

"I said 'ride,'" Astrid said, fists on her hips. "Not fly. You're going to ride you dragon around on the ground. She needs to get used to feeling you on her back, and you need to get used to what it feels like _being_ on her back,"

The ground lesson went well. Astrid explained how leaning forward or backward and side to side could communicate direction and speed to a Nadder. There were no reigns to force the dragon to move a certain way. One of the most important things he learned here was that sometimes the dragon knew best how to move.

"You need to learn to listen to your dragon," Hiccup had said. "Over time, the coordination between the two of you will come naturally, and both of you will react almost instinctively. I haven't figured out if it is a bond thing or just an acquired skill. But when you are fully in tune with each other, sometimes, you won't be able to recognize where your own will and hers blur together as one." He rested his hand on Toothless' head and sighed. "It's amazing, and I look forward to seeing you experience that level of cooperation."

The sun was now setting, and it had been an exhausting day. They returned to Gelbrun's house to find the man putting the finishing touches on another batch of fish stew. Oscar's stomach growled loudly, and Gelbrun chuckled. "Almost ready."

The dragons who could had gone off fishing, and Stormfly had returned carrying a large tuna for Toothless. The humans ate their supper in silence. After dinner, the three visitors from Berk retired to the guest room, where their sleeping bags were rolled out on the floor. Oscar's on one side of the room, and Hiccup's and Astrid's next to each other on the other side. He noted that the couple, while clearly in love with each other, showed restraint and kept themselves apart. In his time, young people their age couldn't seem to wait to sleep with each other. But the respect Hiccup and Astrid showed each other radiated a loving innocence that Oscar found refreshing. He found himself thinking of Raenik, and how attractive he found her. He did not have a wife or a girlfriend back in the future. And he never imagined being drawn to an older woman, especially one who was several _thousand_ years older. But in spite of her extreme old age, by human standards, she was as young and vital as someone in her early thirties.

Thinking of Raenik reminded him of the questions he had about Gelbrun's religious beliefs. Now seemed like a good time to learn a little more. He climbed out of his bedroll and made his way into the living room area of the house, where he found Gelbrun sitting in a chair next to the firepit, poking at the embers.

The wild-haired older man looked up and smiled. "Something I can help you with, lad?"

Oscar sighed and sat down in the chair opposite of Dragon Island's chief. "I heard your prayer at lunch and supper, and I couldn't help but want to know a little more about your beliefs. Clearly, you are not praying to any Norse god."

"Clearly," Gelbrun chuckled. "What would you like to know?"

"Okay," said Oscar. "What God are you praying to?"

Gelbrun nodded. "The One and Only God. The Creator of All."

Oscar nodded. "Does he have a name?"

Gelbrun shook his head. "Not one that I know of for sure, but I have read books on a culture far from here that seems to worship the same God. They call him 'Jehovah.' I've been reluctant to speak a name when I pray to Him. What I may call him is irrelevant. The fact that He _is_... That's all that matters."

"I've heard the story about how this God supposedly saved you," Oscar said. "It's interesting how the word 'saved' is applied."

"Not supposedly," responded Gelbrun with a flash of sadness in his eyes. "My mind was enthralled by evil spirits. At the bidding of their voices, I did horrible things to human and dragon alike. I shunned my own daughter at their behest with the promise of vengeance. Because of me, my home of Nartara was nearly delivered to a ruthless warlord. That was the part the Voices had for me to play, and once I had done it, they no longer spoke to me. I was desperate. Without their influence, I saw myself in a trap of my own making, bound by chains of my own forging. I was at the end of myself. So for the first time since my wife and son had died, I called out for help from whatever true God existed. And He answered. My experience erased years of hatred and anger, and allowed love to once again shine in my heart. I was given a chance to make amends for what I had done, and I have since tried to live by the principles I believe that God has laid on my heart. And I have been happier than I ever have been. I know that I will see my wife and son again when I die and go to live in Paradise forever."

"How does one be... Saved," Oscar asked. He had grown up not really believing in any god. To him, no god existed any more than Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, or fire breathing dragons. But here he was, in a land where fire-breathing dragons thrived in harmony with Vikings. And while he knew for sure that there was no Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus, he could not be so certain about the existence of God.

"Admit that you are a sinner. Believe that His grace and mercy are sufficient to save you. Confess your sins to Him and that He alone is mighty to save. It is so simple." That was Gelbrun's answer.

The funny thing was that he had been told almost the same thing by his grandmother, after whom he had named his dragon. Grandma Gloria had been one whom many would have labeled a Bible Thumper. But she had explained the same three steps to salvation. Admit, Believe, and Confess. _"It's as easy as ABC,"_ she had said. The only thing different from what Gelbrun had said and what she had said was that she had said that the prayer of salvation needed to be prayed in the name of one specific person.

"Does the name 'Jesus' mean anything to you, Gelbrun?"

At the mention of the name, Gelbrun's Majestic Flamescale, Brokenclaw raised his head and looked at Oscar as if seeing him for the first time. Gelbrun's eyes widened. "I only learned that name a few weeks ago, in conjunction with the culture I mentioned. Some believe he is the Son of God and will one day come again, while others simply believe he was a great teacher."

Oscar nodded thoughtfully. "What do you believe?"

Gelbrun told Oscar about what, in his vision of paradise, his son had told him about the Creator of All and His Son being one and the same. "I believe that he very well may be the Son of God. I have read about how the preaching of his teachings has caused a lot of strife. My son told me that the 'truth,' as he put it, would 'both destroy and create anew.' It seems like that is happening."

Oscar nodded again. His grandmother had talked about how Jesus had said that rather than peace, he would bring a sword. It wasn't that His message would be one of violence, but because of the change it would bring, people would embrace violence in resistance. The phrase, _don't kill the messenger_ seemed to apply. Of course, there would come tyrants who would use spreading the truth as an excuse to further their goals of conquest. He remembered studying the Crusades in history class back when he was in school. All that violence under the battle cry of _God Wills It_ was another thing that had turned him away from faith. He did not understand that religion was just being used as an excuse for ulterior motives. Having lived in the world and having seen many examples of that sort of mass-manipulation in both politics and in business, thinking about it now made him realize that perhaps it wasn't really belief that was wrong, but rather those who would twist it to serve their own ends.

"What about you, Rodgers," Gelbrun asked. "What do you believe?"

Oscar sighed and shook his head. "Honestly, Gelbrun, I really don't know. All my life I've thought one way, and here I am, in a place the defies every bit of reasoning I have ever applied. I've got a lot of rethinking to do."

Gelbrun smiled. "I can well understand that, lad."

O O O

The next day dawned just as bright and clear as the day before, and everyone, including the dragons, had awakened refreshed and ready for the trip back to Berk. Well, everyone except for Oscar, who could not stop his mind from going ninety miles a minute. In just the short time since he woke up in Ghothi's hut, he had forgotten everything, learned that Dragons were real, remembered everything, met an alien from another world who was at least thousands of years old, but as vital and beautiful as a woman in her thirties. He had learned that her race believed in God, and so did the dragons. He had met a man who had visited paradise in a vision, who could corroborate everything his grandmother had tried to tell him.

After saying their farewells to Gelbrun, the three visitors from Berk mounted up on their respective dragons and took to the sky. As distracted by his thoughts as he was, Oscar still found himself totally amazed by what it felt like to ride one's own dragon. It didn't take much effort to keep the nadder, whose scales were shining brilliantly in the sunlight, on course. It was as if Dragon Riding was some innate skill he had never known he had. Maybe it was. Like it or not, this was now his time, and Berk was now his home. Perhaps Raenik was right, and it really _was_ his destiny to be here. There was way too much next-level stuff going on for him to ignore the warnings his grandmother had given him anymore. "Jesus save me," he said as he closed his eyes in prayer, trusting Gloria to carry him straight and true.

The rest of the trip home was uneventful. The first thing Oscar did once he secured Gloria at the Academy was go see if Raenik was in town. He had to tell her about what he had learned... And what he had gained.


	10. Chapter 10

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How To Train Your Dragon_

**A RIPPLE IN TIME  
Chapter 10 - What Must Be Done**

As it turned out, Raenick had arrived in town earlier that day, and Oscar had learned from one of the crew of her ship that she was resting in her usual guest house. He hitched a ride on a Majestic Flamescale with one of his fellow Berkians back to the Academy and went to check on Gloria. The white nadder was hunkered down in one of the shade rooms, resting peacefully, but fully awake. Her eyes seemed to brighten when she saw Oscar approaching her.

"Hey, girl," he said, as he scratched her chin, marveling at the contented warble-purr the action caused. He wasn't much for pets back in the future. His landlord was intolerant of animals on the premises, anyway. But this was no pet. Gloria was soul-bonded to him. She would be a friend and companion to him for as long as they both lived. "I know you are tired, but there is someone very special I would like you to meet. Can we fly?"

At the last word, Gloria was on her feet, nuzzling Oscar's chest.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, stroking the Nadder along the chin towards the neck, and Gloria knelt down so he could climb on her back. They strode out of the academy gate and took to the air. Oscar gently leaned to the right and Gloria gracefully turned in that direction. The trip was brief, and as they touched down in front of Raenick's guest house, Oscar dismounted. "Wait here, girl. I'll be right back."

* * *

Raenick was sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in the living room area of her guest house, feet propped up on a stool and head flopped back. The sea voyage from Nartara this trip was a bit rougher than usual. It wasn't particularly stressful, but the involuntary compensation for the ship's heaving that her muscles did wore her out. What she would have given to have one of her father's hoverskiffs here on this planet. Icari Prime was very similar to Earth in terms of water to landmass ratio, and almost everyone had access to a water vessel for recreational purposes. For many, there was no greater experience than to watch the sun rise or set over the ocean. She smiled at the thought. Maybe she would start a charter service here at some point between the evacuation of the Dragons and the destruction of the Portal, which was still a few human generations off from being built. Certainly that wouldn't affect the planet's destiny. She certainly did not want to spend all that intervening time as a recluse. Being able to be herself when she was around Oscar Rodgers had made her realize how important co-existing with others really was. Even as Nartara's minister of resources, she still kept to herself. She really should not have taken a key role in any Earth society. but itt wasn't her fault that she was so good at keeping track of things. But it was really the change that had come over Nartara after Tarina took her father's place as Chief, and the formal alliance with Berk was declared. This was the second independent Viking society to become dragon-friendly. The briefings she had before beginning this mission had indicated that her efforts would be in preparation of rescuing dragons from this world, particularly from the wrath of Vikings. Why had her superiors not been aware of the change that one young Viking who would not kill a dragon would have.

She was beginning to consider that something deeper may be going on, when a knock at the door snapped her our of her musings. With a sigh, she stood up and stretched her back. _I swear,_ she thought. _This had better be very important, or I might just have to vaporize someone._ There was a second knock just before she unlatched the door. "What _is_ it," she said as the door swung open. "Oh," she said, blushing slightly, "Hello, Rodgers,"

Oscar noticed right away the tired look on Raenick's face. "Sorry if I am bothering you. I could come back later,"

"No, that's okay," Raenick breathed. "You're here now. Might as well come on in." She stepped back to allow Oscar to enter. She was about to close the door, but she caught sight of Oscar's Nadder resting outside. "Creator of All!" she said with wonder. "What a beautiful creature!"

"I know, right?" Oscar was grinning ear-to-ear. "She's one of the things I came to talk to you about. Would you care to take a ride with me?"

Raenick looked back and forth between Oscar and the dragon. "You've bonded?"

Oscar nodded, still grinning. "It was amazing. I felt the connection right to the core of my soul. God be praised, I never believed anything could be so awesome."

Raenick looked closely at him, noticing something about his demeanor that had not been there before. Was it possible. "You said 'God be praised.' Have you..." her voice trailed off as his expression melted into one of solemn devotion.

"I know the Creator's mercy, now, Raenick. In the name of Jesus, I know it."

Raenick's shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes. The last barrier to her fully giving in to what her heart had been telling her for months had come down, and she threw her arms around Oscar's neck. "I am so happy for you. For what this means for both of us."

"I guess one could say that we are now 'equally yoked," was his tongue-in-cheek response.

Raenick slapped him on the shoulder, playfully. "Knock it off, Rodgers." Her voice was cold, but her eyes held warmth.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "You wanna take that ride with me or not?"

"Icarians don't ride dragons. They are kindred spirits, and we won't subject them to such indignity." She said with mild distain.

"Oh, come _on,_ Raenick," Oscar said with exasperation. "Look," he said as he walked over to Gloria. "Gloria, this is Raenick. I like her a lot. Would you mind if she goes riding with us?"

The dragon looked at Raenick, then at Oscar, and then back at Raenic. Then she knelt down and purred.

"There," Oscar said, returning to Raenick's side. "So much for indignity. In fact, I think that if you refuse to rider her now, you may actually end up insulting her."

Raenick starred daggers at Oscar for a moment, then she sighed. "Very well," she said, and allowed Oscar to lead her over to Gloria. "But there's somewhere I want to go."

* * *

As the Nadder flies at high speed, the flight only took about thirty minutes. They flew across the ocean again to an island that held nothing but a mountain with a round central core area. Raenick directed Oscar to land. When they dismounted, he looked around and swallowed hard, "I know this place," he said. "It's just missing those strange crystsal formations and Odin's Mirror."

"This is where destiny awaits, Oscar." she walked over to a rock face and held up her hand. The surface of the rock shimmered and faded to reveal a series of shelves holding some odd devices. She picked one up and pointed it towards Gloria. "Draconic Species 552A. Calibrate."

The device beeped and an androgynous voice said, "Calibrated."

Raenick then spoke into the device while holding down a button. "Greetings, Noble Creature. I am called Raenick. I am a representative of the Icarian Ministry of Preservation. Are you familiar with us?" When she let go of the button the device emitted the sounds of grunts, growls and warbles.

Oscar stared in wonder. "It lets you speak like a dragon."

"Shhh!" said Raenick, pointing the device at Gloria and holding the button. The nadder responded with grunts, growls and warbles of her own. When she was done, Raenick released the button. **I am familiar, though only through stories passed on through a long count of years. Have you come to take us away, at last?**

Raenick once again spoke into the device. "Not yet. But soon. You may not know this, but the man you are bonded to is from the future. He knows things he should not, and that can be a danger." She released the button and the device translated.

Gloria responded. **He is my human. I care not when or where he comes from. Don't speak badly of him**

Raenick smiled, again speaking into the device. "I'm not. I love him, and he and I will be together. But because of who we are, we cannot remain where he currently lives. The people of this world are not ready to learn that they are not alone in creation."

Gloria shook her head and snorted. **The Creator of All intertwines all into His will. If it were not so, None of us would be where we are.**

Raenick frowned. She spoke into the device again. "Are you saying that the Creator of All may be using beings not of this world or time to bring about change?"

The nadder's response was unexpected. **Ask your mate.**

Oscar's eyes widened as Raenick turned a shocked expression on him as Gloria turned her head sideways to fix him with a clearly interested one-eyed stare.

"Well," Raenick said, holding out the translator device so he could speak into it. "Let's hear your thoughts."

Oscar licked his lips. "I am new to this whole faith thing. But I know that before I surrendered my heart and soul to God, I never felt whole. Before I came here, I never felt like I really belonged anywhere or had a purpose. I cannot call this coincidence. Being here, in this time, where dragons thrive, I began to look at the big picture differently. If dragons could exist when I had once believed them to be only fairy tales, and if a man from this time could be shown a vision and be told something that parallels a Biblical account when no missionary has yet come to these parts, and his explanation of coming to faith is almost word for word what my own grandmother told me, I see how tightly bound the past, present and future is, and to learn that Aliens from another planet believe something similar, and that dragons do as well, then I see that the universe itself is also tightly bound. My coming her changed me. Dragons coming here has changed an entire Viking society. A runt of a boy's choice to abandon tradition has changed things for Dragon-kind. And while horrible acts were once done in the spirit of these words, when I look at all that I have seen since I got here, I am compelled to say, 'God wills it.'"

Raenick's eyes were wide with wonder as she released the button on the translation device. Gloria had actually bowed her head as his words were translated to perfect Draconic.

"I believe," Raenick said, "That is the most I have ever heard you say at one time. And I believe that it is also the most profound point of view about all of this that I have ever heard."

Oscar fixed Raenick with a stare. "You aren't going to like this, but Stoick needs to be told the truth."

The silence was deafening and the tension was palpable. Raenick glared at Oscar as she responded. "You can't be serious! For crying out loud, even Hiccup, who is the smartest Viking alive at the moment, thinks that the reason lightning strikes at metal is because the metal makes Thor angry for some reason. Were it not for Hiccup, even Stoick would have continued thinking that Thor wanted the dragons gone. And you propose to explain that people from outer space are going to come take the dragons away in a few generations?"

Oscar actually had the audacity to crack a smile. "Well, maybe not in those same words, but essentially, yes. He knows that how I got to this island in the first place has no explanation. But it is all tied together. And remember, dragons and humans now share a bond with each other. When your people come to take the dragons away, do you think that the humans bonded to them will just sit idly by and let it happen?"

"They won't have any choice in the matter," Raenick snapped.

"Oh yes they will," Oscar retorted

Gloria had been looking back and forth between her human and his mate, a little annoyed at being left out of the conversation.

"You know how stubborn these Vikings are," Oscar continued. "They won't care how advanced your people are. The moment they come trying to lead the dragons away, the Vikings will rise up and fight."

Raenick sighed. "They would be fools. My people are not murderous. But from their point of view, Vikings in this region are fated to die in the storm that will come shortly after the rescue of the dragons. They will not hesitate to use deadly force to make sure that the Dragons survive."

"That's just unacceptable," Oscar said coldly.

"It sure is," Raenick agreed.

Gloria chuffed and snapped her tail spines up an down to get their attention.

"I'm sorry," Raenick said, again speaking into the translator, recapping the exchange between her and Oscar. "What do you think?" She released the button so the dragon would understand her words.

**I agree with my human,** Gloria said. **The Chief of these Vikings must be told the truth, so that when the time comes, it may be passed on to future generations, so that when the people of Icaria come to lead us home, an understanding can be reached, and bloodshed can be avoided. It is simply what must be done.**

Raenick had no argument for that. While she had made it a point to avoid interfering with the development of human society in the long count of years she had been on this planet, Oscar's words had made her see how all the puzzle pieces of destiny seemed to be fitting together. Her being left in the dark about her involvement with this man outside of time, and the ripple effect he would have by just being there only strengthened her conclusion. "What must be done," she echoed, nodding solemnly.


	11. Chapter 11

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How to Train Your Dragon..._

**Alright... After this chapter, the timeline is going to start to really leap ahead, and will cover important events in the lives of Oscar Rodgers, the people of Berk, and those who will become their allies through marriage. New characters will be introduced, and beloved characters will die. It is only natural with the passage of five human generations worth of time. Two of those deaths I have already written about, in my one shot storys collection. Those one shots will be deleted as they are integrated into this story. I have not been writing the events for this story chronologically. I know what events need to happen, and where they need to fall on the timeline. The ending has already been written, and I cannot wait to share it.**

Without further ado, I give you the latest chapter in A Ripple in Time:

**A RIPPLE IN TIME  
Chapter 11 - A Revelation**

Oscar and Raenick returned to Berk after having decided to reveal the truth to Stoick the Vast, establishing a for-chiefs-only flow of information leading to the day when an Icarian advance team arrives to build the portal that would one day be called "Odin's Mirror." They had agreed that there should be no delay, after which, they both would need to leave Berk.

O O O

Stoick whistled as he walked up the stepped path towards his house. The day's chiefing duties miraculously went off without a hitch, and he was anticipating a quiet evening at home, with a mug of ale and a warm fire, and without the need for a single block of ice to ease his non-existent headache. He opened the door to his house, turning to look out over his village. He backed into the house with a contented smile, and closed the door. As he turned around, the smile left his face to be replaced by a concerned fown. He was not expecting anyone else to be here, and yet he was now facing Raenick the Frugal sitting in his chair at the firepit with Oscar Rodgers standing behind her with his forearm resting on the tall chair back.

"What are the two of you doing here," he asked, reaching for the axe he kept propped up near the door. People did not typically wait uninvited in someone else's house unless they were up to no good. And he had certainly not invited either of these two to his house.

"Easy, chief," said Oscar. "We are here to talk, nothing more. We have answers for you."

Stoick eased his hand away from the axe, and instead, crossed his arms and fixed the intruders with a stern expression that screamed, _this had better be good._ "I'm listening."

Oscar laid one hand on Raenick's shoulder, and the Nartaran woman reached up and took it, giving it an encouraging squeeze. "As Gothi pointed out, I am not from this world. That is not completely true, sir. I am from this world's future. I was part of an expedition that was studying a piece of technology left behind on what you call 'Lone Island.' That device was a time portal. I stepped through it in order to escape an earthquake. It was a risk, but I figured that it would be better to be lost in time than dead. The portal brought me to this time. It was responsible for my memory loss. I don't really belong here, but here is where I have ended up, and I can never get back home."

Stoick bared his teeth in an annoyed grimace. "So you lied to me about where you were from."

Oscar shook his head. "No, sir. I am from _where_ I told you. I just didn't tell you _when_ I was from. That would have opened the door for all sorts of questions it would be dangerous to answer. Things I know about the future could alter the past, and have some really nasty effects.

Stoick thought about it. It did make sense. But something wasn't right. "So why tell me now?"

"Because, Stoick," Oscar said, "Raenick's people who _are_ from another world, will be coming to take Berk's dragons away in roughly five generations."

Raenick met Stoick's now-fiery gaze with a cheerful smile. "When that happens, there will be a lot of bloodshed that I would like to see avoided. Berk is fated to be destroyed, but not by my people. History records that in about five generations' time, a great blizzard will hit Berk directly, and nothing will be able to survive it. The dragons must be saved before that happens."

Stoick shook his head. "The dragons, but not us?"

"The dragons do not belong here, either," said Oscar.

That non-existent headache Stoick had been so grateful for had become a headache that was very much existent. "I think I need to sit down," he said, taking a seat in the chair across from Raenick.

Raenick explained about how the original dragons ended up on Midgard, and why they were being transported to begin with, and how her people planned to evacuate them in five generations. "The problem is that the Ark vessels will not arrive in time to get the dragons off this world before the blizzard hits. We have closer ships that are not equipped to transport them, but they carry technological components. It was determined by my superiors that the engineers on board can construct a time portal before the blizzard hits, and get the dragons to the future, where the Ark vessels will be waiting to carry them on to where they should have gone to begin with."

Stoick was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, and his hands on his forehead. He now had at least a two-iceblock headache, and it was getting worse. "So let me get this straight. Dragons crashed on Midgard almost a thousand years ago. They were released on what is now their egg-laying island, from there, the red death called them to Dragon Island, and they became a plague to Vikingdom for generations, now they are free to be the peaceful beings they originally were. Now they only have a few generations before a blizzard will kill them all, but your people can save them, but not us."

Raenick nodded solemnly. "That about sums it up."

Stoick was not pleased at all. "And why must it be them but not us?"

"It is not in our mandate," she said, matter-of-factly. "Disobeying our mandate can have dire consequences."

I see," said Stoick. As dire as, I don't know, AN ENTIRE SOCIETY FREEZING TO DEATH!?"

Raenick cringed at Stoick's shouted, and very pointed question. "Chief Stoick, believe me, if it were my decision to make, I would find a way to do something. But it is not up to me. The Council has spoken."

It wasn't fair. But Stoick had to admit that during the dragon war, his own father had to make decisions that resulted in people dying so that others might live. It was village policy that he himself had still enforced up to fifteen years before the Red Death was defeated. That was why there were only six children who were had survived back then. And those six ultimately had played a part in changing everything for the Vikings of Berk. Without them, there would be no peace between dragons and humans. It was a few years after that that the Night Fury had joined the raids. And while most of the raids were still very destructive, looking back on those in particular, there was a measure of order to them which did reduce human casualties. Raiding other tribes that were not hit as hard by the dragons made a difference. Could it have been that Toothless had been sort of looking out for humanity even back then? Stoick sighed. "Well if it is Berk's fate to perish, at least I at least know that we helped the dragons find peace here for a time."

Raenick and Oscar shared a look. This was easier than expected.

"Now what are you not telling me?" Stoick asked with an expression that implied that he was tired of being left out of the loop.

Oscar spoke before thinking. "In about seven years time, A madman named Drago Bludvist is going to attack Berk, and he will be responsible for your death."

Raenick practically hiccupped with the sharp intake of breath she made, and her face took on a mask of fury. "RODGERS!" she shouted, and both Stoick and Oscar jumped.

Stoick's mouth was hanging open, and he felt his hear skip a beat at the mention of the man he remembered from almost twenty years ago who had caused so much death.

"I'm sorry, Raenick. He needs to know."

"You fool," she hissed. "Nobody should know their fate like that. You run the risk of messing up the future!"

"Knock it of, Raenick. The accident that landed the dragons here inadvertently caused a lot of people to die. Who is to say that they were meant to die. How do you know that one of them wasn't meant to have kids who would do great things in the future?"

"You idiot," she said. "It's part of history. You just told a man about the future. Now what happens if he takes steps to change his fate? What sort of repercussions have you caused here today?"

"Like it really matters. In five generations, Berk is going to be destroyed. We just told him as much. How do we know he won't take steps to change the destiny of his entire tribe?"

"I AM RIGHT HERE!"

Stoick's shout brought Raenick and Oscar out of their exchange.

"Tell me one thing," the chief said. "We beat Drago, right? He doesn't take Berk?"

Oscar's knowledge of the future of Berk was limited. He just knew that Stoick would die due to the actions of Drago Bludvist. There were no specifics. He looked to Raenick for an answer.

Raenick stared daggers at Oscar for a moment. Then with a sigh, she fixed Stoick with a serious expression. "Hiccup will face Drago twice. The first time he will drive Drago away. The second time, Drago's own most powerful ally will turn on him, and he will not survive. Berk will be safe."

Stoick sighed. "And my son. He will be a good chief?"

Raenick smiled. "What does your heart tell you?"

Stoick closed his eyes and smiled. "That he will be a greater chief than I have been. I am still amazed that it was _my_ son who brought peace between Berk and the dragons. That the gods chose me to be the father of a true hero is an honor I am not worthy of. My mind was closed for so long, and my heart was hardened after losing Val."

"Val Haddock?" asked Oscar. Raenick dug her fingernails into his arm and he stifled a yelp. Perhaps telling the Chief that his wife would be found alive and well, and would eventually return to Berk was not a good idea.

Stoick seemed to have been lost in thought and did not acknowledge that Oscar had spoken his wife's name. "Hiccup will do fine as Chief," he said. "Knowing that He and Berk will thrive, when the time comes, I can die content. And sense I clearly will not be learning the specifics of my death, there's nothing to do but go on living day to day."

Oscar and Raenick were facing away from the back door, so they did not see Hiccup entering the house. "I would suggest writing down what we told you. Hiccup will need to learn about it when he becomes Chief," said Oscar.

"Learn about what?" Hiccup's nasally voice caused the two to jerk around to face him.

"Oh dragon's balls!" Raenick snapped and immediately slapped a hand to her mouth. This day was just getting better and better.

Stoick stood up and walked towards the ice box. "Have a seat, son. I'll be sure to leave you a block. You'll need it."

Raenick and Oscar both sighed at the same time. They recapped what they told Stoick, minus that part about Drago and his father's death.

Hiccup sat there and took it all in with a furrowed brow. When they were done telling their tale, he looked directly at Raenick. "How do we know you're really not from this world, and aren't just spinning some wild tale to make us surrender our dragons?"

Raenick plucked the eyemask out of her left eye, revealing the purple and orange eyes that Oscar still found fascinating, and even beautiful, because they were so different.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "O... Kay..." he said. "That answers that question."

Raenick stood up as she replaced the eyemask. She then reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a device similar to the translator she had used earlier.

"What's that," asked Oscar.

"Short-term memory modifier," She said as she twisted some dials. "If you will please close your eyes, Stoick?"

Hiccup realized what was about to happen. "You're going to adjust my memory?"

"I need to, Hiccup," the Icarian said kindly. "It is not time for you to know this. But your father will write it all down and make sure you get it when you eventually take over as chief." If I am around at the time you read it, I can remove the memory block. It will be painful if I do, but I will if you wish it."

"It'll be alright, son," Stoick said.

Hiccup nodded reluctantly. Stoick closed his eyes.

Raenick pressed a button on the device. "Memory lock, for defined timeframe. Passcode Lightning's Shadow Brightest Future." She released the button and the device beeped. She pointed it at Hiccup and clicked another button. Hiccup immediately passed out, and Oscar caught him before he hit the floor.

"When he wakes up," said Raenick, "He won't remember the past several minutes. Tell him he came in to tell you something, but suddenly grew dizzy and fainted. Scold him for working so hard and not getting enough rest."

"I can do that," stoick responded, "He _does_ work too hard. and he _doesn't_ get enough rest."

After getting assurances that Stoick would write the letter for Hiccup to read when he becomes chief, they took their leave.

"Why didn't you block Stoick's memory of what I told him about his death?" Oscar asked.

Raenick frowned. "I didn't want to risk blocking part of what he needs to know. The blocker does not allow for selective memories. Just a timeframe. It will do for Hiccup, because there was only one piece of information he learned during the timeframe, and if he can't remember getting to the house, Stoick's exhaustion explanation should cover that."

"Why will it hurt if the block is removed?" Oscar wanted to know.

"The memory is there, but the neural pathways that can access it are now routed around the memory. If the block is removed, suddenly the pathways will reconnect. The shock of the brain suddenly reintegrating the memory feels like a very intense, but thankfully very brief migraine headache. We only use memory blocks as a last resort. Inflicting pain is not something we enjoy."

Her answer made sense. "Raenick, I am really sorry for what happened back there."

"What's done is done. We just need to trust in the Creator of All that everything will unfold as it should."

Oscar smiled, glad that she was no longer angry. "Amen to that," he said with a smile.

And the river of time flowed onward...


	12. Chapter 12

_I neither own nor claim any rights to How To Train Your Dragon_

**Hello, Everyone...**

**We're going to start moving forward through the timeline quickly now, with each chapter from this point addressing key events necessary to wrap the story up. There are several events that need to be covered, so there's quite a bit more before the end. We're covering the ending of HTTYD2 in this one.**

And just to be clear, Even though we've got three series of Dragons shows, I am only treating the movies as canon. I may draw on elements from the shows occasionally, if they fit with the story I am telling, but I am not going to lose any sleep over the creative license I am going to be taking with what lies ahead.

**Let's get started, shall we?**

**A RIPPLE IN TIME  
Chapter 12 - The River of Time**

A few weeks after Oscar and Raenick revealed the truth to Stoick the Vast, they had set their affairs in order and left Berk and Nartara, respectively. They established a home on Lone Island, where Odin's Mirror would one day be constructed. There was a compound built into the mountain at the core of the island, containing living quarters and common areas.

"All this was here when my cousin and I were poking around?" Oscar was amazed.

"Most of it." Raenick said. "Some of it will collapse between now and then, and as you saw, the hidden door only opens by voice key. If you knew about it, you might have been able to open it, just as you managed to command the portal. But you didn't, so that's one less discovery your expedition will have made."

Oscar shook his head. "Where did all the furniture and machines come for. This is way more advanced than I've seen, even in my own time."

"The original Ark vessel that carried the dragons was dismantled. What didn't end up here was used by the Icarian survivers to establish homesteads. A few of them are left out there in remote areas of the Archipelago, waiting for the day the portal is constructed to come here and evacuate. They were instructed not to settle together, and to stay out of history's way. If anyone were to encounter any of them, they would be viewed as hermits living off the land and keeping to themselves, with nothing worth raiding them for. I know of at least ten of them, but I can't be sure of the others."

Oscar nodded. "Well, based on what I am seeing, there's more than enough room here. For them and for us... And our kids."

Raenick blushed. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves future-man. We're not even married yet. And because we've cut ties with our villages, I have no idea who would officiate our wedding."

Oscar laughed. "I have a thought about that. Gelbrun, Chief of Dragon Island."

Raenick's eyes widened. "I was living in Nartara when Gelbrun the Mad was letting the place go to Hell in a handbasket while having Majestic Flamescales tortured and killed for his amusement. But then, I was also living there before he lost his wife and son, and remember how much he loved and was loved by his people. If he has truly become the man he was before, I could accept him as officiator."

"Okay," Oscar said. "So, When do you want to get married?"

Now it was Raenicl's turn to laugh. "You're a funny little man, you know that?"

"I'm serious," Oscar said, with a non-nonsense gaze.

Raenick squinted her eyes at him. "Are you in so much of a hurry to get inside my pants, future-man?"

Oscar's mouth dropped open. "I don't... I'm not... I just..." He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Look. I love you. You told Gloria that you love me. It's just us here. Alone. It's just only a matter of time before... You know... And it wouldn't be right unless we were married."

Raenick busted out laughing. "It's alright, Oscar. I just wanted to see you squirm. It's kind of cute."

Oscar opened and closed his mouth, looking like a fish. Then he recovered his composure. "So, when?"

"Let's do it tomorrow. We can hop on Gloria in the morning and be on Dragon Island by early afternoon." Raenick was smiling. It was refreshing that after so many decades, she could finally just be herself with someone who himself was outside the bounds of the rules she had to follow with everyone from this time period. The River of Time was long and difficult with nobody to navigate it with. And she had been navigating it alone for far too long.

Oscar reached out and rested his hand on Raenick's cheek and smiled. "Tomorrow it is, then."

O O O

The river of time flowed forward and two years passed. Oscar and Raenick were married as they planned and wasted no time getting their life started, raising a family. Raenick conceived and gave birth to twin sons, though not identical. The first son was named Alavar, and the second was named Alarick. Their surname was slightly altered to reflect the naming conventions of the region: Rodgerson.

In Berk, due to a turn of events in which Alvin the Treacherous was presented with, and took, an opportunity to redeem himself with Stoick the Vast, a lasting peace was established between Berk and Outcast Island.

Daggur the Deranged, who fell out of favor with his own tribe after the Nartara incident was challenged and shamefully defeated by Heather, a young woman who as fate would reveal, turned out to be the firstborn of Oswald the Agreeable, and therefore Daggur's sister. And because Berk had proved to be helpful to Heather, one of the first things she had done upon assuming the role of Chief of the Berserker tribe was to re-establish a solid peace accord with Berk. Both the Outcasts and Berserkers were on their way to becoming dragon-friendly tribes.

With the largest direct threats to Berk removed due to peace being made. the island prospered. And trade with Nartara was a major contributing factor. But just when all seemed right with the world, a plot was uncovered in which a dragon conquering warlord named Drago Bludvist declared war against Berk as what he saw as the biggest threat to his plans. In an attempt to stop Drago before he could commit his forces against Berk, Stoick the Vast was killed, a victim of Drago's Bewilderbeast's mind control, in which Toothless had become an unwilling puppet intended to kill Hiccup.

After Chief Stoick's funeral, Hiccup led the Berkians back home to stop Drago from destroying it. Hiccup had managed to help Toothless overcome the bewilderbeast's mind control, and the tide of battle turned in Berk's favor. But Drago had one final play to make...

O O O

_Hiccup, _Toothless shouted in his mind as Drago's Bewilderbeast opened its mouth to breath its deadly, crushing blast of ice directly at his friend. His friend that he had tried to kill only to strike down his father. The fact that he had no choice in the matter didn't make the truth any easier to bear. He had become a killer of those he loved and he would never be the same again. He deserved to die. And he would. But he would protect his best friend with his last act. And with that thought firmly in mind, he leaped into the air from behind Hiccup and dove in front of him

Time seemed to slow down as he extended his wings as his feet struck the ground: they would shield the ice blast. Just as Hiccup's father, the Chief of Berk, had taken the death blow to save his son, so he, Toothless, would take one to save Hiccup. _Creator of All, _he though as he felt the ice strike him, _Let your justice be done!_

FLASH

He was a young Night Fury, flying with his mother. They had managed to escape from that aweful place where Monstrous Nightmares were tortured for seemingly no reason by a madman called Gelbrun. He would never forget the stench of evil that permeated that place, seeming to originate from the madman himself, though how that was possible, he didn't know. It was as if something dark and sinister had taken hold of the man, corrupting him from within and touching everything around him.

He shook his head. They were free. He was managing to keep up with his mother while flying at top speed. He had never done that before. He was getting faster as he grew, but the pace of his growth contradicted the new speed he was now enjoying. Then he realized that something was wrong. He wasn't faster. His mother was slower.

"Mother?" he cried. "Are you alright?"

His mother looked back at him and smiled. But her eyes held only sadness. "I'm fine my Little Shadow. Just keep flying. We'll stop to rest as soon as we find some place to land"

Little Shadow. That was his hatchling name. When he grew old enough he would take a name for himself. A name that would reflect the dragon he would grow to become. A name to strike fear into the hearts of madmen like Gelbrun and command respect from all dragon-kind. Night Furies were born leaders, possessing strength and intelligence, and something that most dragons lacked: Wisdom. But for now, he was his mother's Little Shadow, following her wherever she went. All they had was each other.

They flew for about an hour more, and there before them was an island with a few scattered trees. It was no place to live, but it would be fine for a good night's rest. There didn't seem to be any other creatures there, and the surrounding waters were teeming with fish. They would eat well and rest tonight, and continue moving tomorrow.

The sense that something was wrong with his mother intensified when she came in for her landing. Instead of gracefully touching down as she had always done, her knees buckled under her weight and she rolled limply to the side, panting. It was then that Little Shadow saw it. The stub of one of the two-legs' sticks-with-sharp-stone-tips poking out of her chest, surrounded by a small burn-patch. She had managed to keep it hidden from him, but there was no hiding it now.

"Mother," he began. "You're hurt."

She sighed, smiling weakly at him again, and again her eyes held sadness. "I'm more than hurt, my Little Shadow. The stick-with-sharp-stone-tip struck my heart. Not deep enough to kill me immediately, but deep enough to weaken me. I love you too much to lie to you. I am too weak to continue."

"No, mother!"

"If I had been hurt like this and could have just rested, it might have been different. But I had to make sure you got out of there. This is no place for a dragon to live, but you can eat your fill from the fish in the water and rest. And then you must go on without me."

"I won't leave you here, mother," Little Shadow said. I'll go catch us some fish. We'll both eat, and you'll get better, and..." he trailed off, knowing that no matter how positive he could try to be, the truth was that his mother was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. He lowered his head and crooned sadly.

"My sweet boy," she said. "I am so proud of you. I know you will grow up to be a great Night Fury. I feel it in my soul that the Creator of All has a great plan for your life, and that you are destined to be a great force of change. I don't know how I know it. I just do. I won't be able to be with you here, but know that I will be watching over you."

Little Shadow shook his head. "You'll get to see me have revenge on the Two-legs. I'll kill every last one of them I see for this."

"No, my son," his mother said to him. "You must not. Justice will be done by the Creator-of-all, in His time. I have already forgiven the two-leg who did this to me. You must do the same. Otherwise it will be one terrible endless cycle of they kill us and we kill them. A Night Fury must be a forward-thinker, not locked in the past dwelling on something beyond his or her control. So think forward, Little Shadow."

This was the hardest lesson Little Shadow had ever learned, but he took his mother's words to heart. And for three days they remained together on that little island. Eating fish and remembering their life together. But it was not to last.

On the fourth day, Little Shadow woke up under his mother's wing as he had fallen asleep. But something was different. It was too quiet and too still. The only sound to be heard was from the waves washing ashore. His mother's breathing had been labored as he drifted off to sleep. Now she was not breathing at all...

"Mother?" he called.

Nothing.

He pulled himself out from under her wing and moved to look at her face. Her mouth was open, her tongue hanging limp. And her eyes were wide open, though the fire of life had gone from them. His mother was gone, and he, her Little Sadow, was alone.

FLASH

Life had been hard since his mother had died. But life went on. He had made his way from land to land helping out other dragons he came across, but he never settled down. Something kept him moving ever onward. Until he met Graycloud. He had never seen a dragon species liker her. She was sleek and graceful, with a coloring like her name suggested.

He now called himself Darkwing, and he and Graycloud went everywhere together. Two free spirits who found belonging in each other's company. At least, they were free until they came to the island with all the dragons on it. Then they both found themselves enslaved to the will of the beast. And that will had them raiding the nests of two-legs to bring it food. There was no leaving. Not by choice, Those who left were hunted down by the others and brought back only to be eaten by the beast. It was a horrible existence. But the words his mother had spoken about a great destiny for him gave him hope. Somehow he and Graycloud would free themselves of the beast's control, and things would improve. So they did as they were commanded.

He had made a promise to his mother that he would not seek vengence against the two-legs. So he avoided directly attacking them, choosing only to blast their dragon-killing machines into splinters, thus ensuring the success of the raids with as few casualties as possible, on both sides. This meant more food for the beast, so it tolerated him not bringing any food back himself. He and Graycloud both hated having to do what they were made to do, but they did it to survive and hold onto hope.

After a few years, it had all become routine. Heed the call, blast the things two-legs built, cover the escape of Graycloud and the other food-gatherers, pray that the beast was satisfied with the tribute, rest and wait to do it all over again. There was nothing to indicate that the latest raid would be different from all the others. Except that when they were retreating, Graycloud was not there.

Darkwing turned back to the two-leg village to find out what was keeping her. He found her grounded and struggling with two strong two-legs, and even as he landed next to her and roared, he watched in horror as one of them threw a stick-with-sharp-stone-tip, which embedded itself into Graycloud's chest, and even as she screamed in pain, the two legs laughed.

Something snapped within Darkwing, and he wasted no time burning the two to ashes with his whitefire. This was not vengence. This was to protect the one he loved. He turned back to her and pulled the stick-with-sharp-stone-tip out, and she began bleeding profusely.

"I'll kill them all for this," He had said to her.

"No," she told him. "I did this. I went after one of their young... As a distraction... A skinny thing... They came to its defense... I should have known better... Don't blame them... Forgive them... We should be sorry for what we do... Maybe... One day... They will say they are sorry... For what they do... Hope for it... For me..."

She had fought to get those words out, and then her breathing stopped, the blood stopped. Greycloud, the one he loved, was gone. But he would honor her plea. For her sake he would not take revenge. She was right. If it was not for the beast that made them do what they did, none of this would have happened. He hated what the two-legs did to his dear friend. But he hated the thing that made the dragons do all of this even more. It was what really needed killing.

FLASH

Something wasn't right. He thought he heard a distant SNAP! And he had a sense of... something... coming towards him in the sky... Coming fast! He tried to change course, but it was too late. The thing, metal balls tied together with ropes, struck him in the side and wrapped around him. He had seen things like this, thrown by the two-legs. But no two-leg was strong enough to throw one this high into the air, across that much distance at that speed. But that mystery didn't matter. He was going down, his wings unable to extend or flap. The forest was rushing up to meet him. There were few things that scared him, but this experience of total loss of control terrified him.

The Trees! They reached up like sharp claws. And they felt like them as well. His tail caught in the top of a particularly gnarled tree, and a pain like he had never felt ripped through him. He was rolled over and over before colliding with another tree, which bent under his weight, bringing him to the ground. He slid in the cold earth, cutting a deep crevice. He was slowing, but not fast enough. He hit a small rise which threw him into the air again, and he struck the ground again and was rolled over and over again, finally coming to rest on his back.

He lay there panting in shock from the ordeal, and from the pain. Every inch of his body hurt. Miraculously, he didn't think he had broken any bones. Except for the thin ones in his left tail fin, which were not just broken, but gone, like the fin itself.

"My tail!" he roared as he began to thrash about. He couldn't stay on his back. Even as strong and deadly as he was, he would have less of a chance of survival if he stayed in such a vulnerable position. It took great effort, but he managed to turn over onto his side. But the metal balls tied together with ropes had tightened their grip further, and he could no longer move.

It was no use. He could not free himself. He hurt too much. He was too tired. He knew it would only be a matter of time before one of the two-legs found him and killed him. Only a matter of time before it was over. Only a matter of time before he and Graycloud would fly together once more. With that thought, he surrendered to exhaustion and let darkness wrap him in her sweet, gentle embrace...

He opened his eyes at the sound of a sweet voice calling his name, A voice he had been longing to hear. Graycloud's voice. He opened his eyes, and there she was, standing before him, looking more vital than he had ever remembered. More beautiful than he could have imagined.

"This is not the end, my love," she said, stretching her wings out triumphantly. "This is a new beginning for you, though you face difficult times."

He became aware that he was still bound.

"Even now, in this seemingly dark deed, The Creator of All has a great plan. Even now a Chosen One draws near. You must remember my words when we were parted. Remember. Keep them in your heart, and a glorious future awaits. Hope for it... For me..."

Graycloud reached forward with her right front paw and placed it on his shoulder. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, she was gone. But he still felt something pressing against his shoulder. And he heard the unmistakable noise of two-leg speech. The words didn't make much sense on their own, but there was something basic and understandable in the tone and even the mind of the speaker. It was talking about something fixing everything. Then it was going on about bringing down a mighty beast.

He tried to stand, but his bonds were too tight, so the best he could do was shift. The two-leg leaped back holding a tiny metal tooth in his hand. But it was shaking with fear.

That's right, little one, he thought. Be very afraid!

He fixed the two-leg with a piercing stare. The truth was he was afraid, too. Earlier he was ready to give up, but his beloved Graycloud had come to him in what was clearly a dream. And she told him about a great and glorious future. Hope was rekindled, only to be facing a two-leg with a metal tooth, and unable to do anything about it. All he could do was stare into eyes filled with terror.

The two-leg stepped forward again, and raised its metal tooth above its head and spoke again. Something about killing him and taking his heart to its father. That it was a Viking. There was determination as well as fear in the two-leg's eyes. And now he, the magnificent creature the two-legs called a Night Fury succumbed to terror. Not now... Not like this. Please Please not like this.

The two-leg faltered, staring into his eye. Was that pity he saw in its eyes now? Sadness mixed with fear. Dare he hope for mercy from this skinny thing?

This skinny young two-leg... Was this the young thing that Graycloud went after before her death?

The determination in the two-leg's eyes was back, and it raised its metal tooth again, ready to plunge it into his heart. No... There was no hope. He was going to die. He closed his eyes, moaned and let his head sink to the ground, surrendering to the inevitable...

"I did this..."

He heard the words from the two-leg, and understood their meaning. Graycloud had spoken them as well to convince him that he should forgive the two-legs. Then he became aware of the two-leg's metal tooth biting not into his flesh, but into the bonds that held him. He felt them loosen. Felt them fall away from his legs and wings...

The tension of the moment had him running on pure adrenaline. As soon as he was free, instinct took over and he was on top of the two-leg in the blink of an eye, penning it against a boulder with his paw on its throat, staring angrily into its eyes. Eyes that seemed to scream "Not now... Not like this..."

"Hope for it... For me"

With an act of sheer will, he resisted the desire to bite the head off of the cowering two-leg, and instead roared as loudly as he could directly into its terrified face. With that, he turned and attempted to fly away, but the missing tail fin would not allow him to gain altitude. He found himself plummeting into a cove. At the last second, he managed to stretch his wings out and glide into a lake. The water felt good on his wings and legs which had been held so tightly by the ropes for what seemed like forever. And then it sank in. The skinny two-leg cut the ropes and freed him even after all that posturing about being a Viking and taking his heart to its father. Two-legs always go for the kill. So why didn't this one?

FLASH

He was Toothless, and on his back rode Hiccup, the Two-leg who gave him a new life with a new purpose. They were racing other dragons ridden by Hiccup's friends, celebrating the victory against the beast. Little did he realize it but this day was the dawning day of a golden age in which dragons and Two-legs would live side-by-side, taking care of each other and helping each other achieve great things. This was Berk. This was home. This was destiny.

FLASH

He was nothing. The Alpha made that clear from the onset of its control. He would do its bidding and nothing more. He was merely a tool to be used as needed. And right now a human needed to be killed. It was so simple. One full-power plasma blast and the Alpha's command would be obeyed. But something else in the back of his mind told him that this was wrong. He resisted and the Alpha's will was intensified. He was not in control. All he could do was watch. He knew this human. No... He _loved_ this human... A human who had chosen to spare his life when he could have ended it. A human who had given him a new life with a new tail fin that he had personally made for him. The new life meant that he could not fly without this human, but that didn't matter. This human treated him with kindness and dignity and together they were more than the sum of their individual parts. And now he was about to kill this human that he had come to love like a brother, and he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

The human retreated from the threatening eye-slit gaze he knew he was staring at him with. He was trying to communicate, but the words made no sense. Well, human words never made any sense on their own. It was the truth in a human mind that conveyed meaning, but the Alpha's will was drowning out all other truths but one:

_YOU ARE MINE!_

_HE IS LESS THAN NOTHING!_

_DESTRIY HIM OR I WILL BREAK YOU!_

The plasma blast began to build within his throat, even as the human... _his_ human... was backed against a wall of ice. He tried to stop it, but failed.

_Brother,_ his soul screamed to the human. _Please forgive me. I love you!_

The plasma blast was launched and time seemed to slow as it came closer and closer to his human. But at the last moment, his human's father shoved him out of the way and took the full force of the blast himself.

Relief and horror flooded him at the same time. His human was safe, but the man he just killed was also dear to him, though not in the same way. He stood there panting, smoke billowing out of his mouth, his will still subdued by the Alpha.

_SEE WHAT YOU DID, WORM? GO TO YOUR HUMAN... YOU WILL SEE THAT HE REALLY HATES YOU... THEN COME BACK AND GIVE YOURSELF OVER TO ME._

He was Toothless the Night Fury again. He moved to his beloved human and his fallen father. He nuzzled the dead chief's limp hand, and his human rounded on him. He ignored the spoken words because the truth in his human's mind was so sharp and clear.

_Go away, despised one, and never come back!_

His heart shattered. He had committed an unforgivable crime and there was no making amends for it. The Alpha was right. He was now hated by one he loved. He had no purpose. So he opened his mind to the Alpha and accepted control this time.

FLASH

He was forgiven! He didn't know how his human had done it, but he had reached out with a will of his own and somehow used it to block the will of the Alpha. This was unheard of. He was free. He grabbed Drago's staff and flung the warlord off his back, and in so doing, lost control of his stationary flight. His human threw himself off the baby dragon he was riding and plummeted after him. At the last second, his human managed to lock his prosthetic into the control mechanism and together they pulled out of the freefall.

FLASH

_Hiccup, _Toothless shouted in his mind as Drago's Bewilderbeast opened its mouth to breath its deadly, crushing blast of ice directly at his friend. His friend that he had tried to kill only to strike down his father. The fact that he had no choice in the matter didn't make the truth any easier to bear. He had become a killer of those he loved and he would never be the same again. He deserved to die. And he would. But he would protect his best friend with his last act. And with that thought firmly in mind, leaped into the air from behind Hiccup and dove in front of him

Time seemed to slow down as he extended his wings as his feet struck the ground: they would shield the ice blast. Just as Hiccup's father, the Chief of Berk, had taken the death blow to save his son, so he, Toothless, would take one to save Hiccup. _Creator of All_, he though as he felt the ice strike him, _Let your justice be done!_

**MY JUSTICE IS ALWAYS DONE!**

FLASH

The Voice had come from everywhere and nowhere, and Toothless found himself in a beautiful meadow and surrounded by dragons of all kinds, many lounging peacefully. His tail fin was whole, and at his feet lay his beloved human Hiccup, whose legs were both whole.

"How is this possible?" he asked out loud.

"Here in paradise," came a voice he thought he would never hear again, "all things are possible, my beloved Darkwing!"

He turned, and there she was. "Graycloud!"

She smiled at him, after the way of dragons. "You are not home yet, my love. You are not condemned for what you were made to do. You called to the Creator of All and He has answered you."

"What of Hiccup?" Toothless looked down at the sleeping form of his friend. "Why is he not conscious?"

Graycloud regarded the human laying on the ground. "It is not his time, but both of you were in mortal danger. You and he are here in spirit only while the Creator of All sets up what is needed to ensure that both of you survive. A Bewilderbeast's ice is instantly fatal. And while what the Creator of All is doing only takes a moment in that place, your souls needed to be sheltered. So you are both here. He sleeps, because he is not to remember this. But you must remember."

Toothless shook his head. "I never want to forget."

Graycloud nodded. "There is not much time. When the Creator of All sends you back, you will find yourself with power at your disposal that you never knew you could have. The power that Drago Bloodvist exercises is not of this world. Like Gelbrun the Redeemed before him, he has been touched by the servants of the Great Liar. But unlike Gelbrun who succumbed to their will in a moment of mortal weakness, Drago gave himself willingly. He cannot be reached because he does not want to be free. The world will know warlords like him, and they will do horrible things. But he is not meant to be one of them. Supernatural evil is to be combatted with supernatural good. The gift you will be given will be the tool by which this will happen."

Toothless was in awe of what he was told. The Creator of All was going to grant him a gift of tremendous power. "I am not worthy," he said.

"None of us are," Graycloud responded. "But his grace and mercy and justice are beyond our reckoning. The called are seldom qualified, and yet He qualifies the called. When your journey is complete, you will meet many souls, both dragon and human, who can attest to this. You have been an instrument of change that has brought a golden age to your part of the world. And it is not over yet."

A thunderbolt flashed in a cloudless crystal-blue sky.

"Be prepared, my love," Graycloud said as she licked toothless on the cheek. "Balance is about to be restored."

FLASH

Cold. Darkness. These were the things he was aware of, and they were overwhelming. He became aware of the ice all around, and yet he did not freeze. It was as if there was a bubble surrounding him. Hiccup was with him. He could feel the truth of fear in the young human's mind.

**TAKE UP MY SWORD AND WIELD IT IN MY JUSTICE!**

The Voice was all-encompassing, and it was compelling beyond belief, but not in a way that robbed him of control. In his mind, with that same sense that allowed him and all dragons to sense the truth in the minds of others, he became aware of a bright glowing ball of blue light. He reached out to it with his mind, and it flooded into him, and HE began to glow.

He was powerful. The world seemed insignificant. He could rule it all and shape things according to his own will. It was so tempting. But then he remembered the words of a Viking his human called a friend, who had gone to live with another tribe a few years back. Jarin was his name, and he had once said that he sought purpose, not power. That had somehow stuck with him over the years, and now it crashed home all around him. Purpose.

_This ice needs to go,_ he thought. And with the thought, the light within him swelled outward, causing the ice to emit an ever-going high-pitched scream. A moment later, it exploded outward in cold dust.

His back spines, forehead and inside his mouth were glowing blue. The power was still within him. It needed purpose. The Alpha needed to go. He leaped onto a massive ice spike and began roaring defiance at the Alpha who once again tried to exert its will upon him. But with the Power in him, his mind was shielded.

He began to cut loose with plasma blast after plasma blast in rapid succession, striking the Alpha in the head and face. He should not have been able to shoot so many blasts, but he was empowered beyond belief, just as Graycloud said. The blasts caused the Alpha's will over all the other dragons to falter, and they quickly flew over to hover behind him.

Hiccup was on his back again, and he was glad. They were both strong together. And with this new power he had, together they could accomplish wonders.

His human shouted out to Drago, the truth of his thoughts clear to Toothless. He was offering Drago a chance to end the conflict and to understand what it truly means to earn a dragon's trust. But Drago would have none of it. His mind radiated defiance. And his Alpha made ready to strike with a full-force ice blast.

"Not again!" Toothless shouted, and he cut loose with another plasma blast. With that, all of the dragons formerly under the Alpha's control also began to cut loose with their fires. The Alpha, in spite of tremendous pain and growing fear, stood its ground.

_This must end,_ Toothless thought, and he reached deep into himself and brought forth a plasma blast more powerful than any he had ever fired. It exploded with such force on the Alpha's face that its left tusk was broken off.

"LEAVE!" he called out. And amazingly enough, the Alpha obeyed. It dove into the water and vanished.

The power was still within him. He and his human could do wonders. The world would tremble at them. Nothing would stop them. But then he thought of Drago and his alpha. The world would have trembled at what they would have done together, and nothing would have stopped them. But _he_ had stopped them with power on loan from the Creator of All. Power. On loan. "This is not my true desire, and the power is not mine. Creator of All, I release this back to you with boundless gratitude."

And with that, the glow was gone, and he was as he had been before. It did not matter to all the other dragons around him, who bowed low before him. They began to chant, "Alpha! Alpha! Alpha!"

And why not? It made sense. He had overcome an Alpha's power over him, and had driven that alpha away. That made him an alpha. His human would now become chief of the Vikings of berk, and he had earned his right as chief of the dragons of Berk. Both he and Hiccup were two new Alphas, each with the purpose of taking care of their own. Whatever destiny lay ahead, they would all face it, dragon and human, together.

O O O

In the aftermath of the battle, riders from the Berserkers, Outcasts and Nartara arrived, in response to scouts of the respective islands reporting Berk under siege. As quickly as they had mobilized, the were not fast enough to join the battle, which was won by Hiccup and the Riders of Berk. Rather than leaving immediately, they stayed on to celebrate the victory, and the life and memory of Stoick the Vast, a man whose willingness to break with traditions and embrace an age where Vikings and Dragons coexisted together paved the way for prosperity for those who were willing to follow his example. Hiccup's ascension to chiefdom was also celebrated.

Berk would be rebuilt, and made even greater. Hiccup vowed to see to that.

O O O

As the celebration continued into the night, Oscar and Raenick looked at each other solemnly. "Destiny has been fulfilled," Oscar said.

"Indeed," replied Raenick. "We need to pull Chief Hiccup aside and make sure he knows about what lies ahead. We cannot know for certain that Stoick had time to pass the knowledge along."

"Let him enjoy the victory he and Tootless won here." Oscar sounded indignant. "He deserves a break before we dump knowledge of a coming crisis onto him."

Raenick sighed. "Very well, husband."

Oscar smiled. "Thank you, wife."


End file.
